Utah Expands Supreme Court Ahead Of Redistricting Appeal

The Utah Supreme Court expanded Saturday from five justices to seven with the stroke of a pen by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox.

Cox signed S.B. 134 into law, adding two now-vacant seats to Utah’s highest court effective immediately. The court will hear an anticipated case over which U.S. House map the state will use for November’s midterm elections, multipleoutlets reported. The bill did not receive a single “yes” vote from a Democrat in eitherchamber of the Utah State Legislature, although over 70% of Republicans in each chamber voted for it.

The Court’s expansion comes five months after District Court Judge Dianna Gibson — an appointee of Cox’s predecessor, former Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert — ruled in August 2025 the state must redraw its congressional map. Gibson criticized the map presently in use as “partisan gerrymandering.” The state’s Republicans are appealing the ruling, which effectively gives Democrats a one-seat advantage in the midterms, to the Utah Supreme Court.