Virginia court blocks Democrat redistricting plan, speeding GOP map push

Virginia's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a voter-approved redistricting plan that would have given Democrats 10 of the state's 11 U.S. House seats, dealing a setback to the party's congressional ambitions ahead of November's midterm elections, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The 4-3 ruling adds to a broader mid-decade redistricting wave sweeping Republican-controlled states following a U.S. Supreme Court decision April 29 that struck down Louisiana's majority-Black district — a shift analysts say could reshape the House majority before November.

Virginia's high court cited procedural violations in how voters approved the redistricting amendment last month, blocking a map that would have expanded Democrats from six to 10 of the state's 11 congressional seats, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The ruling accelerated a multi-state redistricting push that Republicans launched after the April 29 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The restructuring could hand Republicans as many as 14 additional House seats, while Democrats count on redistricting to gain as many as six seats, with an estimated eight-seat net advantage for the GOP, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Republican-controlled Southern legislatures moved swiftly on several fronts. Louisiana suspended its May 16 primaries to redraw districts. Alabama enacted a law allowing it to disregard May 19 primary results and schedule a new election if a federal court approves its revised map. Tennessee enacted a law carving up the majority-Black congressional district centered on Memphis, and South Carolina Republicans proposed a new map designed to capture all seven of the state's House seats.

President Trump pushed Texas to enter the redrawing contest as well. Texas crafted a plan that could net Republicans up to five new seats, according to the report. California responded with a map intended to add five Democratic-leaning seats, underscoring that both parties are engaged in the nationwide fight.

Republicans currently hold 217 House seats to Democrats' 212, making the redistricting battle consequential for control of the chamber heading into the fall.

With Republicans holding a five-seat House majority, both parties are racing to lock in favorable maps before November's midterm elections — a legal and legislative fight that shows no sign of slowing, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.