Supreme Court is death knell for Virginia's Democratic-friendly congressional maps

"The U.S. Supreme Court refused Friday to allow Virginia to use a new congressional map that favored Democrats in all but one of the state's U.S. House seats. The map was a key part of Democrats' effort to counter the Republican redistricting wave set off by President Trump. The new map was drawn by Democrats and approved by Virginia voters in an April referendum. But on May 8, the Supreme Court of Virginia in a 4-to-3 vote declared the referendum, and by extension the new map, null and void because lawmakers failed to follow the proper procedures to get the issue on the ballot, violating the state constitution."

"Virginia Democrats and the state's attorney general then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to put into effect the map approved by the voters, which yields four more likely Democratic congressional seats. In their emergency application, they argued the Virginia Supreme Court was "deeply mistaken" in its decision on "critical issues of federal law with profound practical importance to the Nation." Further, they asserted the decision "overrode the will of the people" by ordering Virginia to "conduct its election with the congressional districts that the people rejected.""

"Republican legislators countered that it would be improper for the U.S. Supreme Court to wade into a purely state law controversy especially since the Democrats had not raised any federal claims in the lower court. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Republicans without explanation leaving in place the state court ruling that voided the Democratic-friendly maps. The court's decision not to intervene was its latest in emergency requests for intervention on redistricting issues."

Virginia sought to use a new congressional map that favored Democrats in all but one U.S. House seat. The map was drawn by Democrats and approved by Virginia voters in an April referendum. On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the referendum and the map null and void because lawmakers failed to follow required procedures under the state constitution. Virginia Democrats and the state attorney general appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to implement the voter-approved map, arguing the state court erred on federal-law issues and overrode voters’ will. Republican legislators argued the dispute was purely state law and that no federal claims were raised below. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene, leaving the state ruling in place.

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