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Virginia Democrats suffered a major legal defeat after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a high-stakes redistricting dispute, leaving intact a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a voter-approved congressional map overhaul.
The justices denied state Democrats’ emergency request to block the Virginia high court’s decision, which found the amendment process violated the state constitution because lawmakers advanced the proposal after early voting had already begun in the required intervening election cycle.
SCOTUS acted in a brief unsigned order and no justice publicly dissented.
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled May 8 in a 4-3 decision that the procedural defect “incurably taints the resulting referendum vote,” effectively killing Democrats’ effort to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.
VIRGINIA GOP LEADER BLASTS ‘POWER-HUNGRY’ JEFFRIES AS DEMS MOUNT ‘INSANE’ GAMBIT TO OVERPOWER HIGH COURT
The Virginia redistricting map was approved narrowly by voters last week in a special election that the Virginia Supreme Court allowed to be held amid a legal fight over the ‘ramming’ through of mid-decade redistricting. (Virginia Legislative Information System)
Democrats had pursued the revised map as part of a broader national fight over mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections, where control of the House is expected to again hinge on a few competitive seats.
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the chamber.
The Democratic-backed proposal was designed to make multiple Republican-held Virginia congressional seats more competitive and was approved by voters in an April 21 special election by a 51.7% to 48.3% margin.
VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS’ $70M REDISTRICTING GAMBLE BACKFIRES AFTER COURT DEFEAT, IGNITES BLAME GAME
The facade of the Supreme Court building at dusk is shown in this file photo. In a ruling on Friday, the justices declined to block a Virginia…
