Overview
- A three-judge district court denied a preliminary injunction sought by Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy and other Republicans to block the court-selected map for the 2026 elections.
- The judges leaned on the Purcell principle and found the plaintiffs had not shown a likelihood of success on their Elections Clause claim, noting Utah’s election officials needed a final map by Feb. 23.
- On Friday, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously declined to reinstate the Legislature’s 2021 plan, citing a missed 30-day window for the requested relief.
- 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson imposed the plaintiffs’ map after ruling Proposition 4 remains enforceable law and that the Legislature’s two proposals failed to meet its neutral redistricting criteria.
- The adopted boundaries create a Salt Lake County–centered district expected to lean Democratic, and Judge Timothy Tymkovich concurred in leaving the map in place while expressing reservations about the timing and map selection.