A state court judge on Wednesday blocked Virginia from moving forward with a redistricting effort that passed in a referendum a day earlier, a roadblock in Democrats’ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps and tilt as many as four House districts away from the GOP.
The order from Judge Jack Hurley of Tazewell County Circuit Court declares all votes for and against Tuesday’s referendum “ineffective,” and bars state officials from certifying the results or taking any actions to put the new maps passed by state lawmakers into effect.
In a brief order, Hurley found that the referendum violated several clauses of the state constitution, arguing it skirted a 90-day public notice requirement and calling the question that was presented to voters “flagrantly misleading.”
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat, said he will immediately appeal the ruling.
“Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote,” Jones wrote in a statement on X. “We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court.”
The Republican National Committee, one of several GOP groups that sued over the referendum, called the ruling “a major victory for Virginians.”
“Democrats attempted to force an unconstitutional scheme to tilt congressional maps in their favor, but the court recognized it for what it is – a blatant power grab,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters said in a statement.