There’s a new schedule for redrawing Utah’s congressional maps in time for the 2026 midterm elections. State lawmakers have to publish their proposed boundaries by Sept. 25.
Last week, Utah Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson directed attorneys for both sides in the case — state lawmakers and the groups suing them — to agree on a timeline for Gibson to sign off on. The attorneys submitted the revised schedule Sept. 4.
- Sept. 25: The Legislature publishes the proposed map
- Sept. 26-Oct. 5: Public comment period
- Oct. 6: The Legislature’s final vote on the map and submission to the court
This is also the deadline for the plaintiff to submit their map to the court - Oct. 17: Both parties give the court any materials supporting their map and in opposition to the other
- Oct. 23-24: If needed, the court holds an evidentiary hearing
- Oct. 28: Both sides will submit to the court what they think the judge should conclude
The schedule notes that the last few deadlines won’t be needed if the plaintiffs don’t have any objections to the lawmakers’ map, which they would communicate to the judge.
The new congressional map has to be solidified, meaning signed off by the judge, by Nov. 10. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson’s office previously said in a court filing that the maps need to be in by then to give county clerks enough time to prepare for next year’s election.
This all comes after Gibson ruled Aug. 25 that state lawmakers unconstitutionally replaced the citizen-approved Proposition 4 with their own law that watered down the role of an independent redistricting commission, which lawmakers ultimately ignored. Because of that, Gibson said lawmakers had to redraw the state’s congressional maps as they were the “product of an unconstitutional act.”
State lawmakers had asked Gibson to put her ruling on hold so it wouldn’t impact the 2026 midterm. But the judge rejected that request. Lawmakers have indicated they plan to appeal Gibson’s decision to the Utah Supreme Court and intend to ask them to put the ruling on pause.
