High court ruling allows voters to decide whether lawmakers reclaim map-drawing authority, with control of Congress potentially at stake.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that an April 21 referendum on congressional redistricting can proceed, according to a Fox News report, clearing the way for voters to decide whether the state legislature should reclaim authority to draw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The decision marks a significant development in a national fight over redistricting that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats in Virginia have moved quickly to advance a proposed congressional map that could create up to four additional left-leaning House districts in the competitive state. The Democrat-controlled legislature is expected to give final approval to the map in the coming days, after which Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is anticipated to sign it. However, the measure must first receive approval from Virginia voters through the referendum.
The ballot measure would transfer redistricting authority from Virginia’s current nonpartisan commission back to the state legislature through the 2030 election cycle.
Republicans had challenged the validity of the referendum, arguing that Democrats improperly advanced amendments to the state Constitution. A lower court ruled in the GOP’s favor last month. Friday’s ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court overturned that decision and permits the referendum to go forward.
“Today’s order is a huge win for Virginia voters,” Dan Gottlieb, spokesperson for Democrat-aligned Virginians for Fair Elections, said in a statement. “The Court made it clear that nothing in this case stops the April 21 referendum from moving forward and that Virginians will have the final say.”
Early voting is scheduled to begin March 6.
Longtime Republican state lawmaker Terry Kilgore said he and fellow Republicans will campaign against the measure.
“We’re going to make our case to Virginians that this is unfair. This is unprecedented. And, quite frankly it’s against the law we believe,” Kilgore told reporters.
Virginia Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle said the legal battle is not over.
“Last October, democrats took an unprecedented step to illegally pass a constitutional amendment at the 11th hour. The judiciary agreed, and the Supreme Court has taken up and fast-tracked the case. Make no mistake, the rule of law will prevail,” McDougle said.
Republicans have characterized the proposal as an unconstitutional “power grab.” Virginians for Fair Maps, a Republican-aligned group opposing the change, has argued that bipartisan reforms previously removed map-drawing authority from politicians and that lawmakers in Richmond are now attempting to reverse that process.
The Republican National Committee has similarly criticized the effort.
Democrats contend that redistricting is necessary to counter what they describe as partisan gerrymandering in Republican-led states.
Control of the House hangs in the balance. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority, and Democrats need a net gain of three seats to reclaim control. Redistricting in Virginia and other states could shift the balance.
The push in Virginia is part of a broader national redistricting contest that began last year. President Donald Trump, seeking to protect the GOP majority, first floated mid-decade redistricting during his second term. Texas became the focal point after Trump suggested the state could add five Republican-leaning seats.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session to advance a new congressional map. Democratic state lawmakers temporarily broke quorum in protest, leaving the state for two weeks to delay passage.
California responded after voters approved Proposition 50 in November, temporarily shifting redistricting authority from the state’s independent commission back to the Democratic-controlled legislature. The move is expected to produce five additional Democratic-leaning districts, countering changes in Texas.
Redistricting efforts have expanded to other states. Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina have adopted new maps. In Utah, a district judge rejected a GOP-drawn map and approved an alternative expected to create a Democratic-leaning district, though Republicans have appealed to the state Supreme Court.
Indiana Republicans declined to advance a redistricting proposal backed by Trump, defeating the measure in the state Senate despite passage in the House.
Florida is expected to be the next battleground. Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers are pursuing a special session in April to redraw districts in hopes of gaining three to five additional Republican-leaning seats. A lawsuit filed by a group aligned with Florida Democrats challenges the governor’s authority to alter election timelines.
Democratic-led Maryland is also considering redistricting that could add one left-leaning seat, though the effort faces resistance within the party.
Meanwhile, Republicans in South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas and New Hampshire and Democrats in Illinois and Washington State are exploring potential map revisions.
Overarching the state-level battles is a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, Louisiana v. Callais, which could affect majority-minority district requirements under the Voting Rights Act. A ruling in favor of the conservative majority could lead to the redrawing of numerous districts nationwide.
The timeline and outcome of that decision remain uncertain.
As Virginia prepares for its April referendum, the state has emerged as a central front in a nationwide redistricting fight that could determine which party controls the House in the next Congress.
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