Judge’s ruling forces Utah Legislature to redraw congressional map; lawmakers say they will comply 'under protest'

Representative Candace Pucci and Senator Scott Sandel said in a House Rules podcast that a Third District Court ruling issued Aug. 25 by Judge Diana Gibson requires the Utah Legislature to produce a new congressional map on an accelerated timetable, and that lawmakers plan to comply while continuing legal challenges.

"Wefollowed the process," Sandel said, describing the 2021 redistricting work by an independent commission and a legislative committee that held more than 20 public meetings. But he said plaintiffs in the challenge targeted the legislative process established by Senate Bill 200 rather than only the adopted map.

Sandel criticized the judge's schedule for compliance, calling the roughly 30-day timeline "absurd" and "crazy" and saying it does not allow the full implementation of Proposition 4's procedures. "We're gonna produce a map and put it to the judge," he said, adding the legislature would do so "under protest" to preserve its constitutional authority.

Pucci said the House will form a smaller redistricting committee to work rapidly to incorporate the criteria the judge outlined while trying to honor the guiding principles discussed during the 2021 process, including neighborhood integrity and a balance of urban and rural representation. She noted attorneys met with Judge Diana Gibson on Aug. 29 to clarify aspects of the process.

Lawmakers on the podcast described the adopted legislative congressional proposal as having grown from a constituent and a Utah State University student's submission, created in part using Dave's Redistricting Tool and later refined to meet accepted redistricting standards. Sandel emphasized the importance of ensuring each district retains a "foothold" in federal land areas that affect water and recreation.

Pucci said the legislature will continue to pursue appeals: "we're also gonna, be appealing on to the the Utah Supreme Court and to the US Supreme Court beyond that if we need to." The episode framed the next weeks as a two-track approach: comply with the judge's order to produce a map while exhausting judicial appeals.

The podcast discussion underscored the lawmakers' view that the dispute centers on process rather than outcome. Sandel summarized that principle: "This is about process and not about outcome." The legislature faces a practical deadline tied to candidate filing and the 2026 elections as it seeks to meet the court-ordered schedule and preserve options for further review.