Story perspectives

Virginia Supreme Court Blocks Certification of Pro-Democrat Redistricting Vote

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Virginia Supreme Court kept the injunction, denying Attorney General Jay Jones’s request to certify the April 21 referendum.
Voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment to redraw congressional districts, favoring Democrats in ten of eleven seats.
A Tazewell circuit judge ruled the amendment unconstitutional for violating the 90-day notice rule and appearing after early voting began.
The justices are hearing arguments on procedural compliance, with no final ruling issued.

History

Historical Context

After the 1990 census, the Supreme Court’s 1993 5-4 ruling in Shaw v. Reno struck North Carolina’s snake-shaped 12th district as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, establishing strict-scrutiny review under the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision shaped later cases such as Bush v. Vera and Cooper v. Harris, prompting states like Virginia to confront procedural challenges in their 2023 redistricting plan.

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Story summary

Virginia Supreme Court kept the injunction, denying Attorney General Jay Jones’s request to certify the April 21 referendum.
Voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment to redraw congressional districts, favoring Democrats in ten of eleven seats.
A Tazewell circuit judge ruled the amendment unconstitutional for violating the 90-day notice rule and appearing after early voting began.
The justices are hearing arguments on procedural compliance, with no final ruling issued.

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