The Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday agreed to allow Democratic lawmakers鈥� mid-decade redistricting attempt to move forward, announcing it will hear the case on an expedited basis. The court denied Republican lawmakers鈥� motion to pause a redistricting referendum as the high court deliberates the case.
The means voters will be able to approve or reject the redistricting amendment in a referendum scheduled for April 21, 2026. The effort would , with 10 districts favoring Democrats and one tipped towards Republicans.
Almost immediately after the order was released, Democratic leaders emphasized that the decision to redistrict or not will be in the hands of Virginians this spring.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a question of whether people want to move forward that鈥檚 responsive to the redistricting that we鈥檝e seen in other states,鈥� Gov. Abigail Spanberger said while walking with reporters in Capitol Square Friday. 鈥淐ertainly the General Assembly was clear with the amendment process they put forward, and now it鈥檚 up to voters.鈥�
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, also echoed the sentiment. Virginia鈥檚 redistricting effort is a response to President Donald Trump kicking off redistricting squabbles nationally by encouraging GOP-led states to fortify their party by redrawing their Congressional maps, Scott said.
鈥淲e have a president that鈥檚 run amok,鈥� Scott said in a press gaggle Friday morning. 鈥淪o we have no choice but to respond and try to do everything in our power to level the playing field.鈥�
While Virginia鈥檚 redistricting amendment surfaced in recent months, the national debates first began when Trump prompted Texas to redraw its maps. Other GOP states began following suit and the Democratic states like New York and Maryland began their own processes.
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, made no reference to Trump or Republican states redistricting on Friday, but lamented other Democratic-led states鈥� efforts. With the redistricting process still moving forward, he noted the outreach efforts his party will need to do to counter Democratic messaging.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make the case to Virginians that this is unfair, this is unprecedented, and, you know, quite frankly, it鈥檚 against the law we believe, and we will ultimately win in court,鈥� Kilgore said.
The court鈥檚 order also allows Attorney General Jay Jones to intervene in the case. All parties must file their opening briefs with the court by March 23.
Editor鈥檚 note: This story has been updated with responses from Demoratic and Republican leaders.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 草莓传媒. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
