The congressional map ruled on by Utah Third District Judge Dianna Gibson drew praise from Democratic lawmakers and criticism from their Republican counterparts.
Utah is in the midst of a redistricting battle brought on by the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and Better Boundaries. This coalition came together opposing the latest congressional map drawn in 2021 and created a new one that Gibson approved on Monday.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson (R-UT) accepted the ruling immediately.
“I will comply with Judge Gibson’s order and immediately begin the process of implementing Plaintiff’s Map 1 unless otherwise ordered by an appeals court,” Henderson wrote Tuesday on X.
However, other local Republican lawmakers signaled that they will dispute Gibson’s ruling.
“Dear Judge Gibson, Where in the Utah constitution does it say the LWV and MWEG will draw maps? Sincerely, Utah,” state Sen. Daniel McCay wrote on X.
“This is a clear example of judicial activism,” state Rep. Candice Pierucci wrote Tuesday on X. “One unelected judge decided that her personal opinion outweighs Utah’s Constitution and the will of the people — and that’s unacceptable. Our Constitution should be interpreted, not rewritten from the bench. Utahns deserve judges who uphold the law as written, not manipulate it to advance their own agenda.
“The Judge drove the entire process, set aggressive deadlines and refused an extension for map drawing by the legislature. We followed her direction every step of the way — turns out, she was orchestrating it from the start.”
“I have opened a bill to file articles of impeachment against Judge Gibson for gross abuse of power, violating the separation of powers and failing to uphold her oath of office to the Utah Constitution,” state Rep. Matt MacPherson wrote on X.
Democratic state Sen. Nate Blouin implied that Republicans appealing the ruling will send Utah “downhill.”
“Republicans are going to overplay their hand, impeach judges, reshape the Utah judiciary, and send this state plummeting downhill because they couldn’t play fair and lost one. single. seat,” Blouin wrote on X. “The pendulum is swinging.”
Henderson also acknowledged the continuing legal battle.
“There will likely be an emergency appeal, but the process of finalizing new boundary details will take weeks of meticulous work on the part of state and county officials,” Henderson wrote on X. “Barring an appellate court ruling, we must begin without delay to ensure that everything is in place for candidate filing in January. The people of Utah deserve an orderly and fair election and we will do everything in our power to administer one.”
In a joint statement on the redistricting ruling, Utah Senate and House Democrats said they “feel a deep sense of hope and relief” after Gibson’s ruling.
“This is a win for every Utahn,” Utah Senate and House Democrats said. “We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.”
Gibson ruled that Utah’s Proposition 4 law, a state ballot initiative passed in 2018 that bans partisan gerrymandering, stands as “the only valid law on redistricting” despite a 2020 law that repealed it. This 2020 law gave the independent redistricting commission a largely advisory role, but Gibson ruled that the law did not “advance a compelling state interest.”
Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Axson predicted in a statement that Gibson’s ruling would create a “constitutional crisis.”
“Prop 4 empowered unelected activists to overrule Utah voters and their elected representatives,” Axson said. “This ruling given in the dead of night believes judicial power superior to the ballot box, and one judge now claims the authority to dictate Utah’s future. This is bigger than maps — it is a direct threat to our constitutional order. We invite Judge Gibson to leave the bench and run for the Legislature to pursue her policy preferences.”
UTAH JUDGE REJECTS GOP REDISTRICTING PLAN IN FAVOR OF ONE THAT CREATES A NEW BLUE DISTRICT
The last time a Democratic representative won a seat in Utah was in 2018, when Ben McAdams served for a single term in the state’s 4th Congressional District, which still exists with the same boundaries. Meanwhile, the Republican-proposed map would redraw this district to include more of southwestern Utah.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Mike Kennedy (R-UT), and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) for comment, as all of their districts would be affected by the new map.