A state judge halted Virginia’s new congressional maps on Wednesday, just one day after voters passed a redistricting referendum.
Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ordered state officials not to certify Tuesday’s results and barred steps to implement the new districts.
Why did the judge stop the new maps?
In his ruling, Hurley said the referendum violated multiple parts of the state constitution, including a 90-day public notice requirement. He also called the ballot language “flagrantly misleading.”
How would the map reshape Virginia’s House seats?
If implemented, the updated boundaries would give Democrats an advantage in 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional districts, a major shift from the current 6-5 Democratic split.
How are state and party leaders responding?
Attorney General Jay Jones, D-Va., said his office will appeal the ruling immediately.
“Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote,” Jones said in a statement on X.
The Republican National Committee, one of several groups that sued over the referendum, called the ruling a major victory. RNC Chair Joe Gruters described the redistricting effort as a “blatant power grab.”
Meanwhile, Virginians for Fair Elections, which backed the referendum, said voters “understood exactly what was on the ballot.”
The legal fight is already before the Virginia Supreme Court. The justices previously stayed Hurley’s earlier ruling so that Tuesday’s vote could proceed, but they have not yet resolved the broader constitutional questions in the case.
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