Supreme court rejects Virginia Democrats’ bid to restore congressional map

The supreme court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives. The court’s order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition . It was kicked off last year by Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent supreme court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the Republican party. In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more Republican-leaning seats following the court’s voting rights decision. But the Virginia situation was different, stemming from a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia supreme court that struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The state court found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in Virginia’s general election last fall. The supreme court typically doesn’t intervene in state court proceedings unless they present an issue of federal law. …