Virginia Democrats ask US supreme court to revive voter-approved electoral map

Virginia Democrats asked the US supreme court on Monday to revive a congressional map designed to boost their party’s chances in November’s midterm elections, turning to the court as Republicans – including allies of Donald Trump – seek to preserve narrow control of Congress. The case thrusts Virginia into an unusual, mid-decade redistricting showdown, as courts weigh whether lawmakers can remake House districts outside the normal post-census cycle – with control of a narrowly divided Congress potentially hanging in the balance. Virginia’s top court on 8 May threw out a new electoral map that had been crafted to flip four Republican-held US congressional seats to Democrats , dealing a setback to Democratic hopes of retaking the US House. Republicans also hold a majority in the US Senate. In a four-three decision, the Virginia supreme court rejected a Democratic-backed ballot measure approved by voters in April that reconfigured the state’s US House map for partisan advantage. Ruling in favor of a Republican challenge, the court’s majority found that Democratic lawmakers had not followed proper procedure last year when they rushed to approve the referendum in time to reach the ballot ahead of the November vote. …