A federal court on Monday rejected a Republican effort to block a new congressional map that improves Democrats’ chances of winning a U.S. House seat in Utah. The three-judge federal panel denied a preliminary injunction request and ruled the new districts can be used in this year’s election, marking the second recent setback for Republicans who currently hold all four of Utah’s House seats.

The decision thrusts Utah into a national redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with the outcome of the state’s House races now hinging on districts kept intact by judicial intervention against a legislature the court found had circumvented voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards.

The New Map

Judge Dianna Gibson imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional map that the Republican-led Legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. Gibson ruled that the Legislature had circumvented standards against partisan gerrymandering that Utah voters approved in 2018.

The map keeps Salt Lake County—a heavily Democratic population center—almost entirely within a single district instead of dividing it among all four districts, as the previous map had done. The change significantly improves the Democrats’ odds of winning a House seat in a state where Republicans currently hold all four seats.

The new map was submitted to the court by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the voting-rights organizations whose lawsuit challenged the previous districts. “We’re pleased that the court protected the fair map,” said Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah. “Only wish that the future attempts to undermine this fair map would cease, so we could focus on what is important to Utahns.”

Republican U.S. Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens, along with nearly a dozen local officials, had filed the federal lawsuit arguing that the state judge lacked legal authority to enact a map without Legislature approval. The three-judge federal panel rejected their request for a preliminary injunction, ruling that the Republicans were not likely to prevail in their underlying argument.

The court emphasized the practical constraints of intervening so close to the election. Filing period for candidates opens March 9, party caucuses are scheduled for March 17, and state party conventions are set for April 25. Some candidates are already campaigning. “An active primary is ongoing, and the election has drawn too close for the court to get involved,” the court wrote. “The possibility of voter confusion is a considerable risk were the panel to enjoin the current election map.”

Continuing GOP Efforts

Republicans are pursuing other avenues to reverse the new map. A Republican-backed group recently submitted petition signatures to try to get a measure on the November ballot that would repeal both the independent redistricting commission and the voter-approved provision against partisan gerrymandering.

The Utah dispute is one piece of a broader national redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. President Donald Trump has pressed Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to redraw their districts to favor the GOP. In response, Democratic-led states such as California and Virginia have initiated their own redistricting plans.