Utah judge strikes down Republicans' congressional maps in gerrymandering case
A judge ordered the Utah legislature on Monday to redraw its congressional maps in time for next year s midterm elections finding the state legislature unlawfully gerrymandered its districts in favor of Republicans Judge Dianna Gibson declared in a -page order that the legislature must pass a remedial congressional map by the end of September State lawmakers have already signaled they plan to appeal meaning the incident is likely headed for the Utah Supreme Court and possibly the U S Supreme Court Gibson s order comes after a fight between two of the country s largest states Texas and California thrust gerrymandering into the national spotlight Gerrymandering is the practice of changing the boundaries of a congressional district in a state to benefit one political party which critics say dilutes votes TRUMP URGES TEXAS REPUBLICANS TO SWIFTLY PASS REDISTRICTING MAPS WHILE NEWSOM CALIFORNIA DEMS COUNTERThe lawsuit in Utah arose from redistricting changes that began in Utah voters passed Proposition also known as the Better Boundaries initiative that year to overhaul the redistricting process and create an independent commission to oversee it But the state legislature passed a bill two years later that overrode that measure and stripped the commission of its power by reducing it to an advisory body Lawmakers then bypassed the commission entirely by drawing congressional maps seen as strongly favoring Republicans The new map split Salt Lake City four strategies which voting rights groups including the League of Women Voters of Utah and the Mormon Women for Ethical Executive alleged illegally broke up the state s only blue-leaning urban region in violation of the standards set forth by Proposition TRUMP ABBOTT VS NEWSOM MAD DASH TO REDO CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IN CALIFORNIA TEXASSen Mike Lee R-Utah warned Monday ahead of Gibson s ruling that almost anything promoted as an independent commission is often a strategy to give Democrats an edge they can t win through fair elections We the people need to halt this trend To do so we must first grasp what these independent commissions truly represent Lee wrote in a lengthy X post In a state like Utah they re essentially a mechanism for the left to grab power they can t get through democratic elections Utah s redistricting dispute comes after Texas legislature passed new maps this month that give Republicans an advantage in the upcoming midterms President Donald Trump encouraged the move and celebrated it as a BIG WIN while state Democrats temporarily fled the state in protest over the new map California Gov Gavin Newsom a Democrat responded to what he stated was a Trump-led power grab by advancing a hasty plan to suspend his own state s map drawn by an independent commission and pass a new one in a special balloting this year to offset Republicans gains in Texas In a press conference Newsom declared Democrats need to play hardball to stand a chance against a Republican Party led by Trump Trump vowed on Monday to sue Newsom over the map
