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House Republicans sue to block Utah congressional map that favors Democrats
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Two Republican members of Congress sued Utah’s top election official on Monday, seeking to block a court-ordered congressional map they argue was unlawfully imposed by a judge and tilts the state’s House delegation in favor of Democrats.
Reps. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, along with several other elected officials including county commissioners, filed a 31-page federal lawsuit challenging a redistricting plan known as “Map 1.”
The plaintiffs argue the map violates the U.S. Constitution’s elections clause by bypassing the state legislature, which they say holds exclusive authority to draw congressional districts.
They also contend that Judge Dianna Gibson violated the Constitution by rejecting congressional maps drawn by the Utah Legislature and imposing “Map 1,” a redistricting plan drafted by attorneys and experts for advocacy groups.
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Rep. Burgess Owens speaks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)
The plaintiffs said the redistricting plan had “never been introduced, debated, or voted upon by a single member of the Utah House or Senate.”
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“Map 1 was instead drafted by attorneys and expert witnesses for the League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, private activist organizations that possess no lawmaking power under either the United States or Utah Constitutions,” the lawsuit reads in part.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to convene a three-judge panel, invalidate “Map 1” and permanently block its implementation, a move that would prevent its use in the 2026 elections.
Rep. Celeste Maloy speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on March 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
They are also seeking to return redistricting authority to the Utah Legislature and, if lawmakers do not enact a new map, reinstate the state’s 2021 congressional districts.
Republicans currently control all four of Utah’s seats in the U.S. House under district lines approved by lawmakers following the 2020 census, according to The Associated Press.
The AP reported that Gibson found those districts ran afoul of voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards and replaced them with a new map that largely keeps Salt Lake County, a Democratic stronghold, intact within a single district rather than dividing it among all four.
“This lawsuit is not an effort to control political outcomes. It is not an attempt to advantage one party or disadvantage another,” Maloy, Owens and the other plaintiffs wrote in an op-ed for Deseret News. “It is not a referendum on whether districts should be competitive or compact or on how political balance ought to be measured. Those debates belong in the Legislature, where proposals can be introduced publicly, amended openly and resolved by representatives accountable to voters.”
Flags fly at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, 2026. (Sydney Schaefer/AP)
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“We filed this federal lawsuit not because it was easy but because it was necessary. We seek no special treatment. We ask only that the U.S. Constitution be followed, that the Legislature be allowed to fulfill its lawful role under the federal Constitution and that Utahns retain their right to choose representatives through a process that is legitimate and accountable,” they added. “That is not radical. It is foundational. And it is worth defending.”
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Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!
Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
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SEATTLE — Memorials are growing outside popular beer garden The Growler Guys in North Seattle, as friends and family honor the life of a young employee found dead at the business Saturday morning.
Seattle police said coworkers found the victim’s body with apparent fatal gunshot wounds inside The Growler Guys around 9 a.m. Saturday. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim yet. He was in his 20s.
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The young man’s death has shocked and shaken the surrounding North Seattle community.
Dozens of family members, friends, and regular customers surrounded the taped-off homicide scene for hours throughout the day Saturday. Several people who knew the victim described him as a friend to all, a family man, and a stand-out employee to his boss, Kelly Dole.
“He was a part of my community at The Growler Guys,” Dole said. “It’s been a joy just to see them together day after day, and for him to lose his life this way is just a shame and such a loss.”
The victim was also a close friend of Dole’s son for years.
The Growler Guys is closed for the time being, but many people stopped by on Sunday to drop off flowers, cards, or to stop to take a moment and reflect.
A note left at the corner of NE 85th St. and 20th Ave. NE was written by a family that had the victim serve them at The Growler Guys. “While we were only lucky enough to know you for one evening,” the note reads, “I know there are many, many more lives you have made a lasting impact on.”
Left next to the note was a child’s apple juice box. Coworkers of the victim said he always gave kids free apple juice.
“Don’t tell my boss,” they said the victim would say with a smile.
He really was important to the guests and always had a smile, Dole said of his young employee. He had worked at The Growler Guys for about a year.
The victim was killed sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, and police are still investigating a possible motive and suspect. So far, no arrests have been made.
People living nearby, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they didn’t hear any gunshots but called the death shocking: “Well, my heart breaks. My first thought is that it’s a tragedy,” one man said.
Anyone with information or surveillance video in the surrounding Lake City area should contact Seattle police or 911 immediately.
Dole said he hopes justice is served to offer a small piece of closure to the victim’s grieving family.
“My heart goes out to his mom and his dad, his brother and other family members,” Dole said. “It’s just so tragic.”
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