Judges have once again denied Republican efforts to undo Utah’s redrawn Congressional map.
The map, which has a Democrat-favorable district over Salt Lake County, was implemented by a district judge last year after ruling that lawmakers had violated Utah’s anti-gerrymandering law Proposition 4.
Federal ruling
About a dozen elected officials, including congressmembers Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy, asked federal judges to stop the new map, arguing the ruling was unconstitutional.
The three-judge panel unanimously refused that request, saying the officials “have not shown they are likely to succeed on their alleged constitutional violation.”
They also cited the Purcell principle, a legal doctrine that says courts shouldn’t change election rules too close to an election because it could confuse voters.
Plaintiffs have the option to appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, though they have not cited plans yet to do so.
State ruling
The decision comes just days after the Utah Supreme Court also dismissed an appeal from lawmakers who wanted to keep using its 2021 congressional map.
In that decision, justices didn’t focus on the substance of the case. Instead, they said the appeal was procedurally improper since a final judgment hadn’t been made yet in the original anti-gerrymandering case about Proposition 4.
Together, the two rulings mean the new map is likely to stay in effect for November’s election.
