Less than one week after Virginia voters narrowly approved a new congressional map that favors Democrats, the state’s highest court is stepping in.
The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in a Republican challenge that could determine whether the new map stands.
As Straight Arrow reported, voters approved the map last week by a margin of 51.5% to 48.5% – a margin of fewer than 100,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast.
What’s at stake
If the map holds, it could shift Virginia’s current 6-5 Democratic edge in the U.S. House delegation to a 10-1 advantage.
That would flip four seats and cut into Republicans’ narrow overall majority.
What Republicans are arguing
Republicans say the Democratic-led General Assembly broke state rules by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow redistricting in the middle of the decade.
Their argument centers on process – not just the map itself.
They say lawmakers failed to meet a required 90-day public notice window and used ballot language that did not clearly explain what voters were approving.
A circuit court Judge in Tazewell County agreed, temporarily blocking the results and writing that the referendum likely violates the state constitution and was “flagrantly misleading.”
What happens next
Virginia’s attorney general appealed that ruling, arguing a single judge should not override the outcome of a statewide vote.
The state Supreme Court will now decide whether the map can move forward – or whether last week’s results are thrown out.
Part of a broader fight
The case is the latest front in a national redistricting battle, with both parties working to redraw maps ahead of the midterms.
Republicans in Texas approved a map last year expected to add seats to their advantage.
Democrats responded in California with a voter-approved map designed to offset those gains.
More states, including Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Utah, have also redrawn districts as control of the House hangs in the balance.
Many eyes now turn to Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a new U.S. House map Monday that aims to flip four additional seats for Republicans. Florida’s legislature opens a special session Tuesday to redraw Congressional districts, among other tasks.
If the Florida legislature succeeds in sending a map to DeSantis’ desk by the end of the legislative session, it would give Republicans a possible four-seat advantage over Democrats.
Reaction
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised the Virginia vote, calling it a sign Democrats are pushing back. “Democrats did not step back. We fought back. When they go low, we hit back hard,” he said.
President Donald Trump criticized the outcome Sunday on Fox News, calling it “a very bad thing for our country.”
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