House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is pledging to fight the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a voter-approved congressional map that would have potentially netted Democrats four new U.S. House seats.
“We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision,” Jeffries said in a statement. “No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November so we can help rescue this nation from the extremism being unleashed by Donald Trump and Republicans.
“Our fight is not over,” Jeffries added. “We are just getting started.”
In a 4-3 ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a voter-passed referendum that would have allowed redrawing the state’s current congressional map. According to the ruling, state lawmakers did not follow the required constitutional process to place the measure on the ballot. The state court’s decision means all five Republican incumbents will get to defend their seats during the November elections.
“The court has made clear that you cannot cut corners on the Constitution, ignore required procedures, and mislead voters to force through changes of this magnitude,” said Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA).
The map, narrowly approved by Virginia voters, would have redrawn the seats of Wittman and Reps. John McGuire (R-VA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Ben Cline (R-VA). Only Rep. Morgan Griffith’s seat, in heavily Republican southwest Virginia, was still rated as safely Republican under the new map.
Overall, the approved map would have favored Democrats in 10 out of 11 congressional districts. Currently, Virginia’s congressional delegation is split between six Democrats and five Republicans.
“Over three million Virginia citizens cast their votes in a free and fair election, yet the State Supreme Court has chosen to invalidate their voice, disenfranchise them and violate their due process rights,” Jeffries said. “The decision to overturn an entire election is an unprecedented and undemocratic action that cannot stand.”
RED OR BLUE? GOP AND DEMOCRATS EYE NEXT GERRYMANDER TARGETS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING
It is unclear whether Democrats can appeal the ruling. Since the referendum was about adding an amendment to Virginia’s constitution, the state Supreme Court likely has final say over the matter. Neither the federal government nor the federal courts likely has jurisdiction over the matter.
Democrats could propose another constitutional amendment to redraw the state’s congressional map, but it would not be put to a vote until after the 2026 elections.