The US Supreme Court has rejected a last-gasp effort by Virginia Democrats to revive a voter-approved redistricting plan that would have given their party an edge in November's midterm elections.
The appeal sought to overturn a ruling last week by the Virginia Supreme Court that blocked the use of the new voting maps, arguing that Democratic lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures for the referendum.
The Supreme Court on Friday did not provide a specific reason for denying the emergency appeal, saying in a written order: "The application for stay presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is denied."
Don Scott, the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and other Democratic legislators asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to halt the ruling by the state's top court, saying it had "deprived voters, candidates and the Commonwealth (Virginia) of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts."
They cited a 2023 US Supreme Court ruling that stated that state courts "may not transgress the ordinary bounds of judicial review such that they arrogate to themselves the power vested in state legislatures to regulate federal elections."
Gerrymandering war
The redistricting proposal, approved in a state referendum last month, would have allowed Democrats to exceptionally redraw Virginia's congressional districts mid-decade, potentially expanding their 6-5 edge in the House of Representatives delegation to as much as 10-1.
The ruling preserves the current map and marks another flashpoint in an escalating national redistricting war between Democrats and Republicans as both parties scramble for a majority in the House.
US President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states such as Texas to redraw congressional maps in the party's favour last year.
Democrats responded with countermoves in states like California and Virginia.
The redistricting fight took on a new dimension after a recent Supreme Court ruling saying race could not be a factor in mapping congressional districts, leading to a new last-minute push in several Republican-majority states.
Tennessee lawmakers last week passed a new map breaking up the state's lone majority-Black district, with South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama also expected to pursue new maps if pending legal challenges break in favor of Republicans.
