The Virginia Supreme Court has blocked a Democratic-drawn congressional map from taking effect, dealing a significant blow to the party's hopes of flipping the House majority in November's midterm elections.
The court ruled Friday that Democratic lawmakers failed to meet the procedural requirements needed to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, which was designed to pave the way for the redrawn district lines. Virginians had narrowly approved the plan in a statewide vote just weeks earlier, by a margin of three points.
"This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void," the court wrote in its order.
The map was designed to give Democrats up to four new House seats. Democrats need a net gain of at least three seats in November to flip the House majority.
The court found that the Legislature began its constitutional amendment process too late to be lawful. Under Virginia law, lawmakers must pass a constitutional amendment through two consecutive legislative sessions with an election in between before placing it on the ballot. Republicans argued that Democrats first passed the amendment while early voting was already underway ahead of Virginia's 2025 statewide elections.
Democrats tried to counter by arguing that Election Day itself, not the start of early voting, was the relevant date. The court was not convinced.
"Under this thesis, early Virginia voters unknowingly forfeited their constitutionally protected opportunity," Justice Arthur Kelsey wrote in the majority opinion.
The special election did not come cheap. Virginia spent $5 million to administer it. Tens of millions more were spent on advertising. More than three million people cast ballots. It was all ruled null and void.
The ruling is part of a broader redistricting picture that is tilting toward Republicans heading into the midterms. Republicans could gain as many as 14 House seats from redrawn maps across six states, compared to six for Democrats. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning racial gerrymandering regulations in the Voting Rights Act has added to that advantage.
Virginia Democrats had launched their redistricting push last fall after Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw their own maps. They needed to amend the state constitution to bypass a bipartisan redistricting commission approved by voters in 2020.
Trump praised the ruling on Truth Social, calling it a "Huge win for the Republican Party, and America."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the decision "unprecedented and undemocratic."
"We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision," he said.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, said his party respected the court's ruling but stood by the effort.
"This was always about more than one election," he said. "No decision can erase what Virginians made clear at the ballot box."
This fall's midterm elections in Virginia will be held under the current map, where Democrats hold six of the state's 11 congressional districts.