Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Dem Redistricting Measure

The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled against the Democrats’ effort to redraw the state’s maps.

In April, Virginians voted to pass a new map that would have likely taken away four seats from Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now the state Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 that the Democrat-backed referendum is “null and void.”

“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void. For this reason, the congressional district maps issued by this Court in 2021 pursuant to Article II, Section 6-A of the Constitution of Virginia remain the governing maps for the upcoming 2026 congressional elections,” the court’s opinion, authored by Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, stated.

The opinion called the Democrats’ effort “partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts in the Commonwealth.”

Article XII, Section 1 of the state’s Constitution requires constitutional amendments to occur before or after a general election. However, Democrats began the voting process to amend the state Constitution in the middle of the 2025 state elections, after 1.3 million votes had already been cast.

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“While the Commonwealth is free by its lights to do the right thing for the right reason, the Rule of Law requires that it be done the right way,” the majority opinion stated.

“The purpose of Article XII, Section 1 is to give voters the opportunity to participate in the process of amending their Constitution,” the court’s opinion stated. The opinion noted that the mid-election push to amend the Constitution “ended up denying over 1.3 million Virginians their constitutional right to have a voice in the debate.”

Despite Gov. Abigail Spanberger vowing while she was campaigning that she had “no plans” to pass a redistricting measure, this was a national push by Democrats. 

The state’s Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement Friday, “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 believes the Virginia Supreme Court “contorted the plain language of the Constitution” and called the ruling a “wrong legal conclusion that fit their political agenda.”

“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,” Jones stated.

Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin stated on X, “Justice has been served.”

“Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians,” Youngkin stated.

Sitting members of Congress from Virginia have been holding out on announcing their reelection campaigns until the courts ruled. On Friday, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., said in a statement, “Democrats broke laws that they helped write in the first place, blew through deadlines, wrote a biased and misleading ballot question, and lied to the voters in all of their advertising to support the referendum.”

“The voters of Virginia banned gerrymandering six years ago, and that ban remains in effect today,” Cline continued. “This is a great day for fair elections and the rule of law, and it’s a great day for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., called the ruling a “victory for Virginians’ right to fair and adequate representation against the democrats’ attempt to unfairly grab power through an unconstitutional gerrymander of Virginia.”

“I believe they decided correctly and set aside the redistricting efforts by the state legislature,” Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said in a statement. “I commend the [Virginia] Supreme Court for its diligence and fortitude. I look forward to continuing to serve the 9th Congressional District of VA.”

National Republicans celebrated the ruling as a win for free and fair elections.

“The National Republican Congressional Committee was proud to lead and fund this fight to uphold the Virginia Constitution and protect fair representation, and this win is yet another sign Republicans have the momentum heading into November. We’re on offense, and we’re going to win,” committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said in a statement.

The ruling comes amid a major redistricting effort by both parties. Earlier this week, conservative coalitions succeeded in ousting anti-redistricting Republicans in the Indiana state Senate primaries.

Last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais allowed Southern states to more aggressively pursue the possibility of new maps. Louisiana has since called off its House primary to allow for a redrawing of the congressional map. Tennessee Republicans have also approved a new map.

South Carolina is still considering whether to redraw its map, although Gov. Henry McMaster has proposed the session. Alabama may face legal trouble in its redistricting efforts, but Republicans are challenging a court’s injunction.

Republicans may soon pursue a redistricting effort in Mississippi. Georgia has passed on changing its map ahead of the midterms, but a new map for 2028 remains an option.

This story is developing and will be updated.