Virginia Supreme Court affirms pause on redistricting

The Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place a lower court’s ruling, preventing the state from certifying election results that would authorize redrawn congressional districts. Attorney General Jay Jones had sought to block the lower court’s finding. The state Supreme Court decision leaves the new map blocked for now while the Supreme Court hears arguments in a separate case over the redistricting plan driven by the Democratic Party leaders. Several plaintiffs, including the Republican National Committee, argued Monday before the court that Virginia’s legislature bypassed standard procedures and used misleading language in the April 21 referendum vote to approve the new map.

Once the Virginia Supreme Court decides on the legality of the new map, it is expected to rule on whether the election results can be certified. Meanwhile, with elections upcoming in November, the state is barred from taking any steps to implement the redrawn districts. That includes making changes to voter registration records and assigning new polling places.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on the lower court’s blocking of certification of the redistricting vote.