The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down the state's new congressional map, dealing a blow to Democrats as they try to keep pace with Republican gerrymandering in other states. The map would likely have resulted in four more Democratic districts, giving the party 10 out of the state's 11 seats in Congress in the November midterms. In a 4–3 decision, Virginia's top court ruled that Democratic legislators had not followed proper procedure when rushing the referendum to the ballot days before last fall's elections. "This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy," the court's majority wrote. It's a major setback for
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down the state's new congressional map, dealing a blow to Democrats as they try to keep pace with Republican gerrymandering in other states. The map would likely have resulted in four more Democratic districts, giving the party 10 out of the state's 11 seats in Congress in the November midterms. In a 4–3 decision, Virginia's top court ruled that Democratic legislators had not followed proper procedure when rushing the referendum to the ballot days before last fall's elections. "This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy," the court's majority wrote. It's a major setback for the Democratic Party, which thought it had broken even or taken an advantage over Republicans when the map was approved by voters in a referendum last month. The court's ruling — coupled with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision weakening the Voting Rights Act, which is leading to more GOP gerrymandering in southern states — has firmly put Republicans in the lead in the redistricting war. The gerrymandering battle began last summer when President Trump directed Texas legislators to redraw their map mid-decade, giving the party five more favorable seats. Democrats then sought to counter those gains, with California creating as many as five new blue-leaning districts. Other states joined the war as well, and Virginia's referendum was seen as Democrats' biggest victory in the battle. Republicans, still facing an uphill climb to hang onto their congressional majorities in November, celebrated the state court's ruling. President Trump: "Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats' horrible gerrymander. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA): "The Virginia Supreme Court has affirmed what we believed from the beginning — the hastily drawn egregious gerrymander was unconstitutional. This ruling is a victory for democracy and ensures Virginians have fair representation in Congress." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who helped lead the charge in Virginia, blasted the ruling as "unprecedented and undemocratic" and vowed to fight back, though it's unclear what further steps could be taken. "Over three million Virginia citizens cast their votes in a free and fair election, yet the State Supreme Court has chosen to invalidate their voice, disenfranchise them and violate their due process rights," he said in a statement. "We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision. No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November so we can help rescue this nation from the extremism being unleashed by Donald Trump and Republicans. Our fight is not over. We are just getting started." #virginia #gerrymandering #election2026 #cspan ♬ original sound - C-SPAN - undefined
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