Supreme Court rejects Virginia’s bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s request to reinstate a congressional map that would have strengthened Democrats’ chances of gaining four seats in the narrowly divided House of Representatives. The decision, issued without dissent, leaves Virginia’s elections this year under the existing 2021 districts, which were set before the state’s redistricting process. The case stems from a 4-3 ruling by Virginia’s Supreme Court, which invalidated a constitutional amendment passed by voters in April. The amendment was intended to redraw congressional districts to counter Republican gains in other states like Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. However, the state court ruled that the Democratic-led legislature improperly placed the amendment on the ballot after early voting had already begun in last fall’s general election. Virginia Democrats had argued that federal law and Supreme Court precedent allowed the amendment process to continue even with early voting underway, as elections are only finalized on Election Day. But the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving the state’s attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones, to criticize the decision as part of a broader effort to undermine voting rights. ‘Donald Trump, Republican state legislatures, and conservative courts are systematically tilting power away from the people,’ Jones stated. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger confirmed the state will hold elections under current districts, with primary elections scheduled for August 4. The decision nullifies the votes of over 3 million Virginians who supported the redistricting amendment in April, according to Spanberger. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has previously sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana, allowing those states to redraw maps favoring GOP candidates following a recent ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act.