Judge Orders Utah to Redraw Congressional Map

A Utah judge ruled on Aug. 25 that the state Legislature must redraw its congressional maps, saying that the repeal of a 2018 voter-approved ballot initiative was unconstitutional. The ruling stemmed from a 2022 lawsuit filed by voting rights groups seeking to challenge the Utah Legislature’s repeal of the voter-approved ballot initiative known as Proposition 4. Proposition 4 is a bipartisan citizen-led initiative narrowly approved by voters in 2018. It aimed to prevent partisan gerrymandering by forming an independent redistricting commission. The Utah Legislature repealed the law in 2020 and replaced it with SB200 after negotiations with Better Boundaries, the group that spearheaded Proposition 4, to revise the redistricting process. Under SB200, the Legislature may, but is not required to, vote on or adopt maps recommended by the commission....