Democrats suffered a setback on Friday as the Virginia Supreme Court blocked a new congressional map from taking effect, bolstering Republican hopes of retaining control of the U.S. House in November.
The ruling came weeks after Virginia voters narrowly approved a referendum to redraw the state’s congressional districts as part of a broader national redistricting battle between Democrats and Republicans ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the constitutional amendment authorizing the referendum was improperly advanced after early voting had already begun in the 2025 general election, violating the Virginia Constitution.
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court wrote in its order.
The proposed map was expected to favor Democrats in as many as four Republican-held congressional districts. Democrats need a net gain of three seats nationally to reclaim the House majority.
Sam Markstein, national political director and spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition, derided recent comments by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had warned Republicans that aggressive redistricting efforts in other states would backfire.
“Nobody has more egg on his face than Hakeem Jeffries, who, after mocking Republicans with ‘F*ck around and find out’, watched the Virginia Supreme Court torch the Democrats’ unconstitutional gerrymander scheme,” Markstein told JNS.
He also praised the National Republican Congressional Committee’s support against the Virginia effort.
“After prematurely popping all of that champagne, one has to wonder how that humble pie tastes for the Democrats today,” Markstein added.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which supported the referendum campaign, condemned the ruling.
“This politicized ruling overturns the will of Virginians, who voted in a referendum last month to redraw their maps and level the playing field in the midterms,” the group stated. “We’re going to continue fighting Republicans’ anti-democratic agenda at every turn.”
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat, also criticized the decision, saying the court “has chosen to put politics over the rule of law.”
“This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it fuels the growing fears across our nation about the state of our democracy,” Jones said.
Jones said his office is “carefully reviewing this unprecedented order, and we are evaluating every legal pathway forward to defend the will of the people and protect the integrity of Virginia’s elections.”
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the drawing of congressional districts based on racial considerations, coupled with the Virginia decision, could swing some 14 redrawn seats to Republicans, though the full effects of some of the gerrymandered districts are not yet known.
