RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court on Thursday effectively blocked Democrats’ planned April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, another potentially devastating blow to the party’s effort to pick up four more U.S. House seats in a national redistricting battle.
Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones has already vowed to appeal the ruling by the Tazewell Circuit Court, which granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The plaintiffs argue that the timing and wording of the ballot referendum is illegal.
Thursday’s court ruling, while temporary, could kill the referendum for this year if it survives an appeal. The moratorium is effective until March 18 and early voting will begin on March 6.
The Republican request for a restraining order — also signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith — argued that Democrats are ramming redistricting-related bills through the Legislature despite legal hurdles preventing such a rushed process.
In a statement, the GOP National Committee said the latest decision was a “huge victory to protect honest representation for every Virginian.”
This is the second time Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. has ruled against a Democrat’s redistricting agenda. In January, he ruled that a proposal to amend the constitution was passed illegally in a special legislative session and too close to an election to interfere.
That case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, and the justices said they would allow the referendum to go forward while they review the appeal.
President Donald Trump launched an unusual mid-decade redistricting battle last year by pushing Texas Republican officials to redraw districts to help his party win more seats. Facing political headwinds for the GOP aimed at holding on to a narrow House majority that typically favors keeping the party out of power in the midterms.
Instead, it created a national redistribution war. So far, Republicans believe they can win nine more House seats in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democrats believe they can pick up six more seats in California and Utah and are hoping to make up all or part of the margin in the remaining three seats in Virginia.
Ahead of Thursday’s ruling, Democrats pushed to step up their efforts, releasing a proposed map that could give their party four more seats in the U.S. House. A redistribution plan has been submitted to the legislature.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, said Thursday he was confident the court’s latest order would be overturned.
“The Virginia Supreme Court has already made it clear that this case will go to the voters, but Republicans unhappy with that decision went back to their favored judge,” Scott said in a statement, pointing to Hurley’s earlier decision.
Democrats have also tried to limit which court venues can take such cases. After Republicans filed their first lawsuit in Tazewell, a conservative area in southwest Virginia, Democratic lawmakers have only one proper court venue for legal actions related to constitutional amendments or their elections: Circuit Court in Richmond.
Virginia Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the bill and set the redistricting referendum date for April 21.
In their court filings, Republicans say Tazewell is still the rightful place despite the new law. Hurley agreed.
___ Diaz is a reporting corps member for the Associated Press/U.S. Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that lets journalists report on issues hidden in local newsrooms.
