RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal, potentially foiling their efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House in November.
Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. struck down the legislature’s actions on three grounds: lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session; they failed to approve the amendment before the public began voting in last year’s general election; and they failed to publish the amendment three months prior to the election, as required by law. As a result, he declared the amendment invalid and void.
Virginians for Fair Elections, a campaign supporting the redistricting resolution, issued a statement expressing their intention to appeal. Campaign manager Keren Charles Dongo criticized the ruling, suggesting, “Republicans court-shopped for a ruling because litigation and misinformation are the only tools they have left. We’re prepared for what comes next, and Virginians deserve both the right to vote and the chance to level the playing field.”
The national landscape shows a complicated mid-decade redistricting battle, with emerging opportunities for Republicans in states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, while Democrats anticipate gains in California and Utah. Democrats hoped to offset a three-seat margin in Virginia through this amendment.
Similar redistricting disputes continue in several states, adding uncertainty to the electoral outcomes, as the effectiveness of new district maps remains under legal scrutiny.
Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. struck down the legislature’s actions on three grounds: lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session; they failed to approve the amendment before the public began voting in last year’s general election; and they failed to publish the amendment three months prior to the election, as required by law. As a result, he declared the amendment invalid and void.
Virginians for Fair Elections, a campaign supporting the redistricting resolution, issued a statement expressing their intention to appeal. Campaign manager Keren Charles Dongo criticized the ruling, suggesting, “Republicans court-shopped for a ruling because litigation and misinformation are the only tools they have left. We’re prepared for what comes next, and Virginians deserve both the right to vote and the chance to level the playing field.”
The national landscape shows a complicated mid-decade redistricting battle, with emerging opportunities for Republicans in states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, while Democrats anticipate gains in California and Utah. Democrats hoped to offset a three-seat margin in Virginia through this amendment.
Similar redistricting disputes continue in several states, adding uncertainty to the electoral outcomes, as the effectiveness of new district maps remains under legal scrutiny.
