Court rejects Virginia redistricting in a blow to Democrats' counter to Trump, GOP

State Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, center, speaks with the media following a hearing on new congressional maps before the state Supreme Court in Richmond, Va. on April 27. Allen G. Breed/AP hide caption toggle caption Allen G. Breed/AP The Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the congressional redistricting approved by voters in April. The ruling is a major setback for Democrats' attempt to counter the pro-GOP reshuffling of voting maps led by President Trump. Commonwealth voters approved by a 52% to 48% margin a constitutional amendment April 21 to allow redistricting. Responding to a lawsuit brought by Republicans, the court found that the legislature made procedural errors in how it placed the question on the ballot. The majority opinion of the state supreme court found that the legislature violated the multi-step process for putting constitutional amendments on the ballot and that, "This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy." "This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void," the majority wrote. It ordered that the state must use the same congressional district map in the upcoming election as it used in 2022 and 2024. The redistricting could have helped Democrats win four House seats held by Republicans. That, combined with five seats tilted toward Democrats in California and one in Utah, made 10 seats. …