Map Rejected
The Supreme Court declined to reinstate Virginia Democrats' voter-approved congressional map, impacting the party's chances in the upcoming midterm elections. The decision leaves in place the Virginia Supreme Court ruling that the process leading up to the referendum approving the new congressional map was flawed.
Democratic Hopes Dashed
The rejected map would have favored Democrats in 10 of Virginia's 11 districts, potentially adding four seats to their congressional representation. Democrats had hoped the new map would counter Republican-led redistricting efforts nationwide. The current map yields a congressional split with six Democrats and five Republicans.
Legal Challenges
The Virginia Supreme Court blocked the redistricting plan in a 4-3 decision, stating that lawmakers failed to follow the proper process for putting the proposal before voters, violating the Virginia Constitution. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones argued the state court decision implicated federal law, but the U.S. Supreme Court typically does not review interpretations of state law by a state's highest court.
National Implications
Without any noted dissents, the justices declined to block the Virginia Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court previously allowed Texas to use a gerrymandered map that could help the GOP win five more seats in the U.S. House. The court also allowed California to use a voter-approved, Democratic-friendly map, adopted to offset Texas's map.
Redistricting Battles Continue
The Supreme Court's decision not to intervene was its latest in emergency requests for intervention on redistricting issues. Republicans in some Southern states are scrambling to redraw their House district boundaries after the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Officials in Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee have said they'll pursue new maps ahead of their primary elections.
Abortion Pill Access Preserved
In a separate case, the Supreme Court preserved broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone without an in-person doctor visit. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the decision. The decision means patients can continue to obtain a prescription for the medication via telehealth and pick it up at a pharmacy or have it delivered by mail. More than one in four women who get an abortion today obtain the medicine via telehealth, according to the ACLU.
What Happens Next
Virginia's current congressional map, which yields a split of six Democrats and five Republicans, will remain in place for the midterms. It remains to be seen how candidates who launched campaigns in districts that no longer exist will respond ahead of the filing deadline, and whether Democrats will try again before 2028.
