A major ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday handed Republicans a significant win, invalidating a Democratic-backed congressional map and reshaping expectations ahead of the midterm elections.
In a narrow 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the voter-approved map was improperly enacted, declaring it “null and void.” The outcome shifts momentum in the broader national battle over redistricting, giving Republicans an opening in a closely contested fight for control of the House.
Virginia’s current congressional delegation stands at six Democrats and five Republicans. The now-rejected map had been expected to heavily favor Democrats, potentially expanding their advantage to 10 of the state’s 11 seats.
“On the first day Democrats tried to enact this scheme, we said it was illegal and unconstitutional,” said Mike Young, president of Virginians for Fair Maps. “Here we are months later, and it’s illegal and unconstitutional.”
Political analysts had projected that the map—crafted by Democratic lawmakers and narrowly approved in an April 21 referendum—would deliver four additional seats to the party, strengthening its chances of reclaiming the House in November.
Dave Wasserman, a senior editor and redistricting specialist at the Cook Political Report, described the ruling as “a massive setback for Democrats” who will now need to pick up a net of “more like 10 seats to win control of the House, rather than just three.”
With Republican-led redistricting efforts advancing or already completed in states including Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama, Wasserman now estimates the GOP “will pick up somewhere the six to seven-seat range from redistricting.”
Even so, he noted that Democrats remain favored to win back the House, though the ruling improves Republican prospects. “Republicans have a more realistic chance of holding their majority than they did prior to this ruling and the [Louisiana] Supreme Court decision,“ he said.
The legal battle in Virginia is part of a wider, back-and-forth struggle between the parties over congressional maps nationwide. The dispute has been tied to political planning efforts associated with James Blair, a former White House deputy chief of staff, aimed at strengthening President Trump’s agenda heading into the final stretch of his term.
At earlier stages, Republicans appeared to misjudge the evolving landscape, as California responded to redistricting moves in Texas by revising its own map, and Virginia seemed poised to tilt the balance toward Democrats.
“A lot of overpaid operatives in DC owe James Blair an apology right now,” a GOP consultant close to the White House told The Post regarding the Trump ally, who recently stepped back from his role to focus on election strategy.
President Donald Trump welcomed the court’s decision, posting on Truth Social: “Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters also praised the outcome. “Democrats just learned that when you try to rig elections, you lose,” he said.
“Today, the Virginia Supreme Court sided with the rule of law and struck down Democrats’ unconstitutional maps. The RNC led the charge in court against this blatant power grab, where Virginia Democrats poured more than $66 million into an effort to lock in control and silence voters. We took them to court, and we won”
Democratic leaders responded by emphasizing respect for the judicial process while signaling continued opposition. Don Scott, speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, said in a statement: “We respect the court. But we will keep fighting for a democracy where voters — not politicians — have the final say. Because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people.”
Writing for the majority, Justice D. Arthur Kelsey explained that lawmakers advanced the constitutional amendment process “in an unprecedented manner.”
Because the state’s redistricting system was established through a prior constitutional amendment approved by voters, any changes required a new amendment. That process mandated passage in two separate legislative sessions, with an election in between, before appearing on the ballot.
The legislature first approved the amendment in October, during the early voting period but ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.
A second approval came after the new legislative session convened in January. Lawmakers later passed an additional measure in February detailing the proposed districts, contingent on voter approval of the amendment.
At the center of the dispute was whether the October vote came too late, given that early voting had already begun.
Attorney Matthew Seligman, representing the legislature, argued that the “election” should be defined narrowly as Election Day, Nov. 4, meaning the initial approval occurred in time and complied with constitutional requirements.
Opposing counsel Thomas McCarthy contended that the term “election” encompasses the entire early voting period, which spans 45 days in Virginia. Under that interpretation, the legislature acted too late to meet constitutional standards.
The court sided with McCarthy’s argument. Kelsey wrote: “While the Commonwealth is free by its lights to do the right thing for the right reason, the Rule of Law requires that it be done the right way.”
“[V]oting in the general election for the House of Delegates began on September 19, 2025, and ended on Election Day, November 4, 2025. The General Assembly voted for the first time to propose the constitutional amendment to the electorate on October 31, 2025. By that date, over 1.3 million votes had been cast in the general election, which was approximately 40% of the total vote for that election cycle,” he added.
Kelsey concluded that by treating “election” as referring only to Election Day, lawmakers effectively “ended up denying over 1.3 million Virginians their constitutional right to have a voice in the debate over whether their Constitution should be amended.”
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