1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to stop pursuing further appeals in the congressional redistricting case and accept the court-ordered map for the November 2026 elections. This litigation is wasting taxpayer money on a losing legal strategy that has now been unanimously rejected by both the Utah Supreme Court and a three-judge federal panel. The facts are clear. Utah voters passed Proposition 4 in 2018, creating an independent redistricting commission and establishing neutral criteria for drawing political boundaries. The Legislature gutted this initiative and drew a congressional map in 2021 that created four safe Republican seats. The Utah Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2024 that this action stripped voters of their constitutional right to the initiative process. U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby, writing for the federal panel, emphasized that last-minute changes would cause confusion and chaos for candidates and voters with just three weeks until party caucuses. Despite these clear rulings, Republican officials including U.S. Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy continue pushing appeals. Senate President J. Stuart Adams has expressed desire to take this to the U.S. Supreme Court, and House Speaker Mike Schultz is discussing postponing the candidate filing deadline. Every day spent on this legal battle costs Utah taxpayers money that could be invested in education, infrastructure, or other critical needs. Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that Proposition 4 is the law in Utah, and the Legislature's second attempt at a map also failed to meet legal guidelines. Two separate court systems have unanimously rejected challenges to the court-ordered map. Continuing this fight disrespects the will of voters who passed Proposition 4 and wastes resources on a case with no reasonable chance of success. I urge you to accept the court-ordered map, respect the rule of law, and stop spending taxpayer money on frivolous appeals. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has stated Monday is the deadline to have a map in place. It is time to move forward and allow the 2026 elections to proceed without further costly delays.