Campaign signs showing the current electoral map of Virginia next to the proposed electoral map on a table of Republican Party volunteers outside a polling place at the Burke Center Library in Burke, Virginia, US, Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday overturned the state’s recently passed redistricting referendum, dealing a major blow to Democrats hoping to pick up a few seats on the new House maps.
The redistricting ballot measure passed by 3 percentage points in late April in what was seen at the time as a major victory for Democrats, who stood to gain up to four seats in the redrawn maps before the November midterms.
The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision comes amid an ongoing partisan battle and as Republican-led states across the South work to redraw their House districts after a landmark Supreme Court decision that weakens part of the Voting Rights Act.
“We respect the court. But we will continue to fight for a democracy where the voters – not the politicians – have the final say. Because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people,” said Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott, a Democrat, in a statement after the decision.
President Donald Trump, who has urged GOP-led states to draw favorable maps in a bid to win a smaller House majority, celebrated the decision, while Democrats vowed to explore their options.
“Big win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court just struck down a horrible gerrymander for the Democrats. DO AMERICA AGAIN!,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
The court ruled that the state proposed an amendment to the constitution to allow unprecedented harassment of the group.
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the referendum vote and renders it void,” wrote Justice D. Arthur Kelsey in the majority opinion.
The decision gives Republicans a significant edge in redistricting wars and could end Democrats’ gains in the 2026 midterm elections. Without Virginia’s redrawing, last year’s redistricting efforts could give Republicans a 12-seat advantage over Democrats, according to an analysis by Issue One, a coalition that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics.
“The Virginia Supreme Court has confirmed what we’ve believed from the beginning – an egregious gerrymander that was quickly drawn was unconstitutional. This decision is a victory for democracy and ensures that the people of Virginia have proper representation in Congress,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a post on X Friday.
A member of the public holds a sign reading “Democracy Needs Your Courage” during a special legislative session at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, US, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Madison Thorn | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Virginia’s decision comes less than 24 hours after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a new map that will eliminate the state’s only Democratic district. Other Southern states, including Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina have also taken steps to eliminate majority-minority, Democrat-held districts after the US Supreme Court struck down a provision of the Voting Rights Act, making it more difficult to prove racial discrimination.
Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat who represented the Tennessee district to be removed, vowed to file a lawsuit over the new map. And Democrats have generally said they will continue to fight.
“This is a reversal that sends a terrible message to the American people – the powerful and elite will do everything in their power to silence you,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a statement Friday about the Virginia decision. “House Democrats will not allow this to happen. Our democracy was founded on the belief that the people have the final say. In November, they will, and they will carry the Democrats to a majority in the House.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DNY, said in a statement that Democrats are “exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision.”
With minority lawmakers in the House and Senate and Trump in the White House, Democrats are limited in what they can do, although they have pushed for legislation to modernize the Voting Rights Act and strengthen legal protections against discriminatory voting practices and policies.
Jeffries earlier this week also announced a new plan to force New York’s Democratic redistricting, though any such effort would run into the 2028 election at the earliest.
“No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November to help rescue this nation from the extremes created by Donald Trump and the Republicans,” Jeffries said Friday.
