Washington — The Supreme Court has dismissed an attempt by Virginia Democrats to reinstate a new congressional map designed to favor their party ahead of the midterm elections.
In a brief, unsigned order, the Supreme Court upheld a decision by Virginia’s top court that nullified a constitutional amendment enabling the adoption of the new district map. Notably, no justices dissented from the decision.
Earlier this week, Virginia Democrats made a final appeal to restore the redesigned voting districts, though the effort faced steep odds. The Supreme Court rarely overturns state court interpretations of state law.
Democrats have been actively challenging Republican-driven redistricting plans in multiple states, aiming to protect their prospects in the House for the upcoming November elections.
This push for redistricting started last year after Texas, under former President Trump’s influence, implemented a congressional map potentially adding five Republican seats. In retaliation, California leaders crafted and secured voter approval for new district lines intended to gain Democrats five seats, counterbalancing the Republican advantage in Texas. The Supreme Court has permitted both these maps for the midterms.
Meanwhile, state legislators in North Carolina, Missouri, and Florida have also redesigned their congressional maps to favor Republican gains.
In Virginia, Democratic legislative leaders began their effort to redraw the state’s congressional map in October, when the General Assembly first passed a proposed constitutional amendment allowing it to change Virginia’s House districts in the middle of the decade. The measure was approved by state lawmakers a second time in January.
The issue went before Virginia voters in April, who approved the proposal and cleared the way for the new map.
But days later, the Supreme Court of Virginia blocked the redistricting plan. In a 4-3 decision, the court found that state lawmakers failed to follow the proper process for putting the proposal before voters, in violation of the Virginia Constitution.
State Democratic leaders sought emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court soon after and argued that the state court’s decision was “deeply mistaken” on issues of federal law.
“By forcing the Commonwealth to conduct its congressional elections using districts different from those adopted by the General Assembly pursuant to a constitutional amendment the people just ratified, the Supreme Court of Virginia has deprived voters, candidates, and the Commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts,” they wrote in their request.
Virginia Republicans urged the high court not to grant Democrats’ request, arguing that they “have no case on the merits” and that the Supreme Court of Virginia’s decision hinged on state law, not federal law.
The request from Virginia Democrats was just the latest attempt to get the Supreme Court to intervene in state redistricting fights. While states had sought to change their maps for partisan gain, Republicans in some Southern states are also scrambling to redraw their House district boundaries after the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in a landmark decision last month.
Since then, officials in Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee have said they’ll pursue new maps ahead of their primary elections.
