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The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a new, voter-approved redistricting map, delivering a significant victory for Republicans in the state ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections.
“We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia,” the Virginia Supreme Court said in the ruling. “This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.”
The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments last month over the newly passed congressional map, which voters in the state approved by a narrow 51% to 49% margin.
The ballot measure would have given the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state’s current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through 2030.
It was also expected to yield a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.
RICHMOND, VA – JANUARY 15: Virginia state Supreme Court building was evacuated following a bomb threat to the building. on January 15, 2021 in Richmond, Virginia. Police in Virginia state capitol responds to a bomb threat to the state Supreme Court building. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images) (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
Republicans quickly sued to block the effort, prompting the state supreme court to hear oral arguments last month.
RNC chair Joe Gruters praised the ruling Friday, describing it on social media as a “HUGE WIN” for election integrity.
“This was a clear violation of the Constitution — that’s why the RNC stepped in to stop Democrats’ rigged maps and WON!” he said.
Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Joe Gruters speaks during the RNC Winter Meeting at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort in Santa Barbara, California, on January 23, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
Virginia is one of the latest battlegrounds in the redistricting war pitting President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers against Democrats.
Trump last spring floated the idea of a rare — if not unheard of — mid-decade congressional redistricting effort in an effort to prevent the so-called “blue wave” that saw Democrats retake the House majority in the 2018 midterms during his first term in office.
The effort was aimed at redrawing congressional district maps in GOP-led states to pad the fragile House majority and keep control of the chamber after the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
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Asked last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats to maps across the country, Trump said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”
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This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
