On Sunday, a Virginia judge dealt Republicans a setback by allowing a voter-approved congressional map to stand, potentially reshaping the state’s political balance ahead of the midterms.
Virginia Redistricting Ruling Favors Democrats
Tracy Thorne-Begland, a judge on the Richmond Circuit Court, turned down an emergency request from Republican groups, including the Republican National Committee, to block a newly approved congressional map backed by Democrats, reported The Hill.
The challenge came after voters narrowly passed the redistricting plan in a recent referendum.
Thorne-Begland said the court’s job was limited, writing, “This Court knows its role is clear. It is not to assess the wisdom of public policy nor to engage in policy making from the bench.”
He added, “Instead, it is to decide if those with whom we have entrusted power have exercised that power in conformance with their constitutional mandate. On this question, the Court’s answer is in the affirmative.”
Republicans framed the plan as an aggressive partisan redraw, alleging it was unconstrained by any “traditional criteria” and aimed at enacting an “extreme partisan gerrymander.”
They said the new House map “rips the Commonwealth into pieces, tearing apart communities with actual shared interests in pursuit of a singular partisan objective.”
The judge acknowledged the districts were “less compact” and “certainly partisan gerrymanders.”
He concluded the issue was “fairly debatable” and that Republicans were unlikely to succeed on the merits.
The current congressional split in Virginia is 6-5 in favor of Democrats. The new map could expand that advantage to 10-1.
Virginia Redistricting Fight Escalates
Earlier, the RNC sued in Virginia to block a referendum that would have shifted power over congressional redistricting from an independent commission to the state legislature.
Republicans claimed the proposal violated the state constitution, ignored prior court rulings, and misled voters, calling it a “defective proposal” and a “blatant abuse of power.”
They also argued that the ballot process and the early-voting timeline violated required legal procedures.
Separately, former President Barack Obama urged Virginians to support the referendum ahead of the April 21 vote, encouraging early turnout and a “yes” vote.
He framed the measure as a fight for electoral fairness and said it would help “level the playing field” against Republican advantages in future elections.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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