A controversial referendum that passed Tuesday to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps has been blocked by a Tazewell Circuit Court judge, who claimed the process violated several Virginia state laws.
The measure—designed to shift the state’s congressional delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to potentially one Republican seat—was certified by voters but later invalidated by the court. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones stated the state would appeal the decision, asserting: “Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the people’s vote. We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court.”
Virginia Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger defended the initiative as a “response to what we’re seeing in other states that have taken extreme measures to undermine democratic norms.”
Critics highlighted the referendum’s biased language, which reads: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”
Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin condemned the effort as “ruthless” and disingenuous, declaring: “This is not saving democracy. This is a sham.” U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) added that Democrats had “crushed Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering scheme,” describing it as “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”
