Tazewell County Circuit Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled that Virginia cannot use the recently passed redistricting map that favored the Democrats 10-1.
The plaintiffs claimed that Virginia’s General Assembly, controlled by Democrats, did not follow its own rules when it proposed an amendment allowing lawmakers to draw a new map in time for the midterms.
The public would have voted on the map on April 21.
The proposed map would have given Democrats a 10-1 edge for the House of Representatives.
Right now, Democrats have 6 seats, while Republicans have 5.
The judge ruled against the plaintiffs regarding the complaint that the Democrats could not have kept the 2024 Special Session active as of October 31, 2025.
But Hurley agreed that the General Assembly violated its rules regarding the special session.
I wish I could copy and paste from the order! If my hands feel better (stupid cold weather causes RA flares), I’ll add snippets. But, for now, from WRIC:
Under House Joint Resolutions, the General Assembly was required to follow strict limits on what legislation could be considered. This includes rules on amendments, supermajority approval and unanimous decisions on certain matters.However, the judge determined that the General Assembly did not follow these rules, meaning any actions taken to advance the redistricting plan were deemed invalid, per the Tuesday ruling.The judge also found that the General Assembly did not follow the Virginia Constitution’s requirement that a proposed constitutional amendment pass two separate General Assemblies, with a general election in between, before being submitted to voters.The court ruled that the General Assembly failed to comply with state notice requirements. Per Virginia Code, the Clerk of the House of Delegates is required to properly publish and post the proposed amendment before the next House of Delegates election. However, the judge found the General Assembly did not follow these procedures.
Virginia Democrats vowed to appeal:
Nothing that happened today will dissuade us from continuing to move forward and put this matter directly to the voters. Republicans who can’t win at the ballot box are abusing the legal process in an attempt to sow confusion and block Virginians from voting. We will be appealing this ruling immediately and we expect to prevail. This was court-shopping, plain and simple. We’re prepared for the next step, and voters – not politicians – will have the final say.
[Featured image via YouTube]
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