Virginia Supreme Court weighs whether to block new US House districts
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments on a Republican challenge to the newly approved congressional map, which could grant Democrats four additional U.S. House seats.
- Republicans argue that the Democratic-led General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment for mid-decade redistricting before voters without following required legislative steps.
- A lower court ruled the amendment invalid due to procedural failures, but the Virginia Supreme Court allowed the vote results to stand pending further review.
- This legal battle is part of a broader national conflict over redistricting, with both parties seeking to gain House seats ahead of the November elections, and similar disputes ongoing in states like Florida and Missouri.
- Virginia’s new districts, approved narrowly by voters, could shift the state’s U.S. House delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to potentially ten Democratic seats, pending court decisions.
