(AFP) – The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday overturned the US state’s voter-approved redistricting plan, dealing a huge blow to Democrats’ hopes of reshaping the battle for control of Congress. In a ruling coming ahead of this year’s key midterm elections, the court found that Democratic lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures in a closely watched referendum on a map that the party hoped would create several new safe seats.
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court said in its decision that came after months of legal challenges. The referendum, narrowly approved in a special election last month, would have cleared the way for Democrats to redraw Virginia’s districts mid-decade, potentially expanding their 6-5 edge in the congressional delegation to as much as 10-1.
The ruling preserves the current map and marks another flashpoint in an escalating national redistricting war between Democrats and Republicans as both parties scramble for advantage in the narrowly divided House. President Donald Trump quickly hailed the ruling on social media as a “huge win” for Republicans. Trump helped trigger the latest wave of redistricting battles last year by urging Republican-led states such as Texas to redraw congressional maps in the party’s favor. Democrats responded with counter-moves in states like California and Virginia.
The ruling leaves open the possibility of an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which recently weakened key safeguards against racially discriminatory maps in a decision expected to accelerate Republican-led redistricting efforts ahead of the midterms. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the Virginia high court decision “unprecedented and undemocratic.” “Our fight is not over. We are just getting started,” he said.
Republicans across the South are hoping to carve out as many as four new conservative-friendly districts this month. Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday passed a new map dividing up the state’s lone majority-Black district centered on Memphis, in a bid to eliminate its last Democratic-held US House seat. Deeply conservative South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama are also expected to pursue new maps if pending legal challenges break Republicans’ way.
The Virginia legal fight centered not on the shape of the proposed districts, but on whether lawmakers followed the process required for placing constitutional amendments before voters. Republicans argued that lawmakers improperly advanced the amendment after early voting for last year’s election had already begun. Democrats countered that the “election” referred only to Election Day itself, not the weeks-long early voting period — an argument some justices appeared skeptical of during oral arguments.
The court ultimately sided with challengers who argued the amendment process was unconstitutional because voting had already started before lawmakers gave initial approval. The dispute stemmed from a fast-tracked special session last fall. Lawmakers approved the amendment again in January before passing a separate bill in February laying out the proposed districts, contingent on voter approval. Virginia reportedly spent about $5 million administering the special election, while outside groups poured nearly $100 million into campaigns surrounding the referendum.
The case had already ricocheted through lower courts before reaching the state Supreme Court. In January, a judge in rural Tazewell County ruled lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures and declared the amendment invalid. The Virginia Supreme Court later allowed the referendum vote to proceed while considering the appeal. Legal experts say it is rare for a court to overturn the outcome of a statewide vote, though not unprecedented in Virginia. The state supreme court invalidated a local referendum in Arlington in the 1950s after ruling voters had approved an unconstitutional measure.
– Frankie TAGGART
© 2024 AFP
