Supreme Court rejects Virginia's bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginias bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives.

The courts order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nations mid-decade redistricting competition. It was kicked off last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent Supreme Court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the GOP.

In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more GOP-leaning seats following the courts voting rights decision.

But the Virginia situation was different, stemming from a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month.

The state court found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in Virginias general election last fall.

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The Supreme Court typically doesnt intervene in state court proceedings unless they present an issue of federal law. Virginia Democrats had hoped to persuade the justices that the Virginia court misread federal law and Supreme Court precedent that hold that, even if early voting is underway, an election does not happen until Election Day itself.

Virginias amendment had been intended as a response to Republican gains in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and to blunt a new map in Florida that just became law. Once the Virginia amendment passed, it briefly turned the nationwide redistricting scramble into a draw between the two parties.

That was unraveled by the Virginia Supreme Courts decision.

Its possible Democrats could use the high courts rejection of their bid, while also blessing Republican efforts in Alabama and Louisiana, in election-year messaging about a partisan Supreme Court.

The states top Democrats disagreed about whether it was even too late for help from the Supreme Court. Time grows short, but it is not yet too late, lawyers for the Democratic leaders of the legislature as well as the state told the justices in a brief filed Friday.

A day earlier, the office of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger already had confirmed that the state will hold this years elections under the current districts established in 2021. Last month, Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steve Koski said a court order was needed by this past Tuesday to set the district lines for primary elections on Aug. 4.

The leader of the state's Republican party said the justices made the right call. Wisely, the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Virginia, state party chairman Jeff Ryer said. This should once and for all put to rest the Democrats effort to disenfranchise half of Virginia.