Full story
Virginia ruling reshapes midterms
The Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats’ redistricting referendum results on Friday, nullifying a voter-approved plan that Democrats had expected to expand their edge from 6-5 to 10-1 for the November midterms.
“Writing for the majority, Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements”
The decision came in a 4-3 ruling that said the legislature followed the wrong process for putting the question on the ballot, with NPR reporting the court nullified the results of a special election on April 21 where 1.6 million Virginians approved redistricting.
AP reported that Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote the legislature submitted the constitutional amendment to voters “in an unprecedented manner,” and that the ruling rendered the vote’s result “meaningless.”
The ruling also arrived after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana that weakened voting rights protections for minority communities, prompting Southern Republicans to rush to redraw congressional maps.
In response, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “The decision to overturn an entire election is unprecedented and an undemocratic action that cannot stand,” as Virginia Democrats sought a stay while they file an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court of the United States.
Reactions split along party lines
Republican leaders framed the Virginia Supreme Court decision as a democratic win, with WTOP reporting House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “This ruling is a victory for democracy and ensures Virginians have fair representation in Congress.”
Democrats and their allies called the ruling a blow to voter choice, and AP quoted Suzan DelBene criticizing the court majority for what she said was a decision that “cast aside the will of the voters.”
NPR reported that Tim Kaine accused the court of ignoring the will of voters, saying it “blocked the people’s choice,” and he added, “So we have to campaign and win on their maps.”
The Hill described Democrats as seething at the outcome, quoting Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) saying, “Today, four unelected judges decided to cast aside the will of the voters.”
Axios reported that Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones blasted the ruling as politically motivated, accusing the court of putting “politics over the rule of law” and “silenc[ing] the voices” of Virginia voters.
What comes next for states
The Virginia ruling threatened to shift the redistricting arms race nationally, with WTOP saying Republicans were moving swiftly to add GOP-leaning districts in several states after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana decision weakened the Voting Rights Act.
““It is irreconcilable with Louisiana v. Callais,” the Attorney General’s Office said in the motion.”
NPR reported that Southern Republicans rushed to redraw their states’ congressional voting maps after the April 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and it described protesters flooding capitol buildings in Montgomery, Ala. and Nashville.
In Alabama, the Alabama Reflector reported the state’s attorney general filed motions with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to redistrict, arguing the motion was “irreconcilable with Louisiana v. Callais.”
WBRC said a federal court in Alabama denied Secretary of State Wes Allen’s emergency request for a stay, and it reported that Alabama’s May 19th primary election would move forward under the current congressional map unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
With Virginia’s current congressional districts remaining in place, Virginia Mercury reported the 4-3 ruling left the state’s current congressional districts — which give Democrats a 6-5 advantage — in place throughout the 2026 midterm election and the rest of the decade.
