Virginia Democrats just hit a major legal wall in their bid to reshape the congressional battlefield ahead of the midterms.
In a sharply divided 4-3 ruling Friday, the Supreme Court of Virginia declared that Democrats unlawfully engineered a referendum approving new congressional maps, voiding the districts voters signed off on last month.
The ruling restores the previous congressional map drawn after the 2020 census.
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🚨 BREAKING: The Virginia Supreme Court has overturned the Democrat gerrymandering referendum, ruling that the process to put in on the ballot was unconstitutional.
Virginia will keep their 5 Republican districts. pic.twitter.com/MK4kFd6nBS
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 8, 2026
The decision is a major blow to Democratic efforts to dramatically reshape Virginia’s House delegation before November’s elections.
Virginia currently sends six Democrats and five Republicans to Congress.
Former GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin shared his reaction on X.
“Justice has been served. From the beginning, this was the most obvious violation of Virginia’s Constitution. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians,” Youngkin said. “The Constitution prevailed, and Virginians will never forget this unlawful attempt to rob them of their voice in Congress.”
Justice has been served. From the beginning, this was the most obvious violation of Virginia’s Constitution. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians.
The Constitution prevailed, and Virginians will… https://t.co/WkoEwhMPOH
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) May 8, 2026
Political analysts had warned the Democrat-backed map could have produced a staggering 10-1 Democratic advantage in the state’s 11 congressional districts — a shift that would have significantly boosted Democratic hopes of reclaiming the U.S. House.
The court’s majority concluded the referendum process itself violated Virginia law, rendering the new map “null and void.”
🚨 BREAKING: Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ controversial redistricting referendum, ruling it unconstitutional.
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void.” | @BillHemmer @DanaPerino… pic.twitter.com/97d4goz9uv
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 8, 2026
This story is breaking…
Virginia Supreme Court overrules Democratic gerrymander, declaring new House maps ‘null and void’ https://t.co/pUmcDVgJNX pic.twitter.com/2V9dtbYDrk
— New York Post (@nypost) May 8, 2026
