The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a redistricting proposal that would have allowed the state’s Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw its congressional maps off-cycle.
As proposed, the new maps would have reduced the number of Republican-dominated districts from five to one, out of a total of eleven.
Unlike many of the recent cases concerning redistricting, the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling did not hinge on an evaluation of the redrawn map itself.
Instead, the justices declared the new map void on procedural grounds.
The court ruled 4-3 that the legislature did not follow proper procedure when placing the question on the ballot asking voters to authorize a constitutional amendment to allow for the off-cycle redistricting.
In April, voters approved the amendment by a narrow margin of 51 percent, but Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, writing on behalf of the Virginia Supreme Court majority, said that the legislature submitted the proposed constitutional amendment to voters “in an unprecedented manner.”
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” he wrote.
President Donald Trump (R) responded positively to the ruling on social media.
“The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia.”
Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters also spoke highly of the ruling Friday.
“This was a clear violation of the Constitution — that’s why the RNC stepped in to stop Democrats’ rigged maps and WON!” he said on X.
Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, on the other hand, framed the decision as a reversal of Virginians’ will.
“Last month, millions of Virginians cast their ballots and stood up against the Republican power grab. Today, four unelected judges decided to cast aside the will of the voters,” DelBene said. “This is a setback that sends a terrible message to Americans – the powerful and elite will do everything they can to silence you.”
Democrat and Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, however, criticized the ruling as one that “put politics over the rule of law,” saying that he is evaluating “every legal path” forward.
“This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it fuels the growing fears across our nation about the state of our democracy,” Jones said in a statement, as reported by Fox News.
“My team is carefully reviewing this unprecedented order and we are evaluating every legal pathway forward to defend the will of the people and protect the integrity of Virginia’s elections.”
This is the latest in a series of cases concerning redistricting efforts in both Democratic- and Republican-dominated states ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
