The Supreme Court on Friday denied a request from Virginia Democrats to reinstate a congressional map that could have allowed the party to gain four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The justices issued the order without any noted dissents, leaving in place a 4-3 ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court. The state court had struck down a recently passed constitutional amendment because the Democratic-controlled legislature placed the measure on the ballot after early voting had already commenced last autumn.
Virginia Democrats appealed, arguing that an election does not officially occur until Election Day, regardless of when early voting starts. However, the U.S. Supreme Court generally declines to intervene in state-level court proceedings unless a distinct issue of federal law is raised.
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The battle lands amid a broader national push to redraw congressional boundaries. The high court recently sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana seeking to create more GOP-leaning districts following a separate ruling that weakened sections of the Voting Rights Act. Virginia’s amendment was designed by Democrats to counter those Republican redistricting gains in states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida.
State officials offered conflicting timelines on whether an intervention was even logistically possible.
“Time grows short, but it is not yet too late,” attorneys representing Virginia’s Democratic legislative leaders wrote in a brief Friday.
However, Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger’s office confirmed that Virginia will conduct this year’s elections using the existing district boundaries established in 2021. Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steve Koski previously stated that a court order was required by Tuesday to prepare for the August 4 primary elections.
Republican leadership in the state applauded the high court’s announcement.
“Wisely, the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Virginia,” said state Republican Party Chairman Jeff Ryer. “This should once and for all put to rest the Democrats’ effort to disenfranchise half of Virginia.”
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