Utah may be the next state to redraw its congressional lines amid a growing redistricting battle across the country.

A judge ruled last month that Utah legislators went around safeguards against partisan gerrymandering with their latest lines — which shored up Republican control of Utah's four House seats — and must redistrict before the midterms.

The ruling may face additional legal challenges, but both sides of the case reportedly agreed this past week on a timeline that could lead to changes as soon as this fall.

Unlike redistricting efforts in Texas and California, where plans were put forward to boost party margins in the House, Utah would be forced to redraw by the court order. But experts say that new maps could offer a rare opening for Democrats to gain a seat in the ruby-red state.

Here's what to know.

Why is Utah being forced to redraw?

District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled last month that Utah’s Republican-controlled state Legislature went around voter-approved anti-gerrymandering protections with the latest congressional lines and must redraw ahead of next year’s midterms.

Voters in Utah approved an independent redistricting commission via ballot initiative back in 2018, but that setup was effectively repealed and rendered advisory by a state law passed in 2020.

The next year, legislators disregarded a proposal from the commission, drawing maps that have earned an F-grade from the Gerrymandering Project’s “Report Card.”

Gibson’s new ruling came after a Utah Supreme Court decision last year said the state Legislature doesn’t have the power to revise voter-approved reform initiatives, as it did with the measure related to redistricting.

In the new ruling, Gibson said the current maps are unlawful because lawmakers had essentially ignored the voter-passed proposition. Barring any........

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