Virginia Democrats ask Supreme Court to reinstate blocked congressional map

Washington — Virginia Democrats asked the Supreme Court on Monday to restore its new voter-approved congressional map that aimed to give Democrats an edge in the upcoming midterm elections, days after it was blocked by the state's highest court. In a bid for emergency relief , the state Democratic leaders urged the Supreme Court to pause the Virginia high court's decision, arguing that it was "deeply mistaken" on issues of federal law. They called the Supreme Court of Virginia's ruling Friday "judicial defiance of the commonwealth's Constitution" and state statutes that established new congressional district lines to be used in the 2026 elections. "By forcing the Commonwealth to conduct its congressional elections using districts different from those adopted by the General Assembly pursuant to a constitutional amendment the people just ratified, the Supreme Court of Virginia has deprived voters, candidates, and the Commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts," they wrote in their filing. Virginia is one of several states to undergo a mid-decade redistricting after Texas reconfigured its House district lines at President Trump's urging last year. California, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida have since followed suit. The Supreme Court allowed Texas and California to each use the new congressional voting boundaries for this year's House elections. …