A Virginia court on Sunday ruled in favor of Democrats in a case over the Old Dominion’s congressional lines, rejecting a last-minute Republican effort by Democrats to challenge the structure of a redistricting referendum and a new House map approved by voters.
Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Bageland denied a request by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Virginia GOP and others to block the results of a redistricting referendum held last week, when voters narrowly crossed a set of congressional lines that would have given Democrats four more pickup opportunities in November.
Virginia’s congressional delegation currently has a 6-5 Democratic edge, but the new map would give the party a 10-1 edge in November.
“This Court knows its role is clear. It is not to assess the wisdom of public policy or engage in policymaking from the bench,” Thorne-Begland wrote. “Rather, we must decide whether those to whom we have granted power exercised that power in accordance with their constitutional mandate. To this question, the Court’s answer is affirmative.”
The issue has major implications for November’s midterms as both parties seek midterm redistricting in hopes of winning a House majority. If Virginia’s map is upheld, it will give Democrats more pickup opportunities for the fall midterms.
The Republican plaintiffs, whose lawsuit was filed before the April referendum, had argued in their initial motion that the new House map passed by lawmakers, and later approved by voters, violated the state constitution and was “adopted without legal authority when enacted.” Republicans also argue that the passed map is not narrow.
“Unruly by any conventional standards, and intent on enforcing an extreme partisan gerrymander [the new House map] Tears the commonwealth apart, tearing apart communities with real common interests in pursuit of single partisan objectives,” the Republican suit charged.
Thorne-Bageland wrote in his ruling Sunday that Republicans are unlikely to prevail on many of their key arguments, although the judge acknowledged that the new congressional lines were less compact than the state had previously implemented.
“The 2026 maps are undoubtedly less compact than those they replace. They are certainly partisan gerrymanders. They displace both representatives and voters into new, odd-shaped districts,” wrote a Richmond Circuit Court judge.
“Rather, the court simply concludes, when compared to the testimony of Dr. Palmer, who was not impeached in any meaningful way, that Dr. Palmer’s testimony and methodology are more credible,” Thorne-Begland said, referring to the intervener’s expert witness, Boston University political scientist Maxwell Palmer.
“In short, rational and objective people have reached different conclusions on the impact of the 2026 map. The issue of compactness is highly debatable,” he added. Republicans are “unlikely to succeed on the merits of austerity.”
However, the Virginia Supreme Court will be the final decider on the issues surrounding the referendum and the new House map. The high court will hold oral arguments Monday on whether state lawmakers properly called for the redistricting referendum to be held on Monday and whether the referendum should have been scheduled this year.
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