Utah Enters ‘Uncharted Territory’ After Redistricting Ruling

Published September 2, 2025 at 4:20 PM MDT

utah Congressional Districts, 118th Congress

In 2018, voters narrowly passed a ballot initiative, dubbed Proposition 4, to create an independent redistricting commission and redraw Utah’s voting maps. State lawmakers, though, weren’t having it. For the past six years, they’ve managed to thwart the implementation of Prop 4. But a judge’s ruling last week could force their hands and alter the balance of power in Utah’s congressional delegation.

Utah Republican leaders chafed at Judge Diana Gibson’s ruling invalidating their congressional map, calling it “misguided” and “judicial activism in action.” President Donald Trump decried it as “unconstitutional.” The plaintiffs who brought the case say that redrawing Utah’s voting districts will allow “all voices to be heard.” A panel of guests joins us to break down what the ruling means for Utah’s political future. As Judge Gibson herself acknowledged, “There’s not really a roadmap for what happens next.”

GUESTS –

Elizabeth Rasmussen | Executive director, Better Boundaries

Scott Sandall | Utah State Senator

Robert Gehrke | Politics reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune

Matthew Burbank | Professor of political science at the University of Utah

Holly Richardson | Editor of Utah Policy and a columnist with Deseret News

Airdate: Thurs. Sept., 4, 2025 at 9 a.m. and Sat. Sept., 6, 2025 at 11 a.m.