Overview
- U.S. Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy joined 11 local officials in suing to block Utah’s court-ordered map from being used in the 2026 elections.
- The complaint asks a federal court to declare the current map unconstitutional and to reinstate the Legislature’s 2021 plan or allow lawmakers to draw a new one.
- Plaintiffs say a state judge struck down the legislative map and ordered a replacement drafted by private advocacy groups, exceeding judicial authority under the U.S. Constitution.
- Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson is named as the defendant because she implements election maps, and the filing stresses she is not accused of wrongdoing.
- The suit cites voter confusion, disrupted local-federal partnerships, and campaign timing strains as concrete harms, and it marks a shift of Utah’s redistricting fight into federal court with no ruling yet.