President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a new order from a Utah judge, who ruled that the state’s congressional map must be redrawn before the 2026 midterm elections, was “absolutely unconstitutional.”
“How did such a wonderful Republican State like Utah, which I won in every Election, end up with so many Radical Left Judges? All Citizens of Utah should be outraged at their activist Judiciary, which wants to take away our Congressional advantage, and will do everything possible to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This incredible State sent four great Republicans to Congress, and we want to keep it that way,” he added. “The Utah GOP has to STAY UNITED, and make sure their four terrific Republican Congressmen stay right where they are!”
Utah’s congressional delegation, comprising Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT), Celeste Maloy (R-UT), Mike Kennedy (R-UT), and Burgess Owens (R-UT), is entirely Republican.
United States District Judge Dianna Gibson took issue with Utah’s all-Republican House delegation, saying the Republican-controlled state legislature illegally overruled a 2018 ballot measure designed to prevent partisan gerrymandering.
“Redistricting is not a mere exercise in political line-drawing; it strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” Gibson wrote in Monday’s order.
“The way district boundaries are drawn determines whether the right to vote is meaningful, whether equal protection is honored, and whether the fundamental promises of our state and federal constitutions are upheld,” she continued. “How district lines are drawn can either safeguard representation and ensure accountability by elected representatives or erode public trust, silence voices, and weaken the rule of law.”
The judge ordered Utah state lawmakers to revise the congressional map within 30 days using guidelines approved by voters in the 2018 ballot measure.
UTAH CONGRESSIONAL MAP MUST BE REDRAWN FOR 2026 ELECTIONS, JUDGE RULES
Utah, a predominantly Republican state, backed Trump by more than 20 points in the last presidential election. However, Salt Lake County remains a Democratic stronghold that backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by 10 points last November. Adopted in 2021, the current congressional map divides the county among the state’s four GOP-leaning districts.
Redistricting has triggered an intense battle between Republicans and Democrats over who can constitute the House majority. Texas started aggressively redistricting to strip Democrats of five seats, followed by California’s efforts to raise the issue for a popular vote this fall. Other states, such as Maryland and New York, are considering similar plans.
