Virginia weighs legality of new congressional map favoring Democrats that could reshape US House

Matthew Seligman, the attorney representing Democratic state legislators, speaks with the media on 27 April. Photograph: Allen G Breed/APView image in fullscreenMatthew Seligman, the attorney representing Democratic state legislators, speaks with the media on 27 April. Photograph: Allen G Breed/APVirginiaVirginia weighs legality of new congressional map favoring Democrats that could reshape US HouseThe case is part of a national redistricting fight with high stakes for the November midterm elections Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Associated PressMon 27 Apr 2026 18.16 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleVirginia supreme court justices on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the US House.The new districts, which could net Democrats four additional seats, won narrow voter approval last week. But a Republican legal challenge contends the general assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize the mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.The Virginia court proceedings mark the latest twist in a national redistricting battle between Republicans and Democrats seeking an advantage in a November midterm election that will determine whether Republicans maintain their narrow majority in the US House.Virginia court blocks voter-passed congressional maps that boost DemocratsRead moreDonald Trump kicked off a tit-for-tat round of gerrymandering last summer when the US president urged Texas Republicans to redraw districts to their favor in an attempt to win several additional House seats. That set off a chain reaction of similar moves in other states, leading to the voter approval last week of Virginia’s new map.Next up is Florida, where Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, has proposed a congressional redistricting plan that could essentially cancel out Virginia’s changes by giving Republicans an improved chance of winning additional seats. The redistricting is on the agenda for a special session of the GOP-controlled legislature beginning Tuesday.During Monday’s arguments, the Virginia supreme court focused on whether the new congressional districts should be invalidated because of the process used by lawmakers. The justices issued no immediate ruling.Because the state’s redistricting commission was established by a voter-approved constitutional amendment, lawmakers had to propose an amendment to redraw the districts. That required approval of a resolution in two separate legislative sessions, with a state election sandwiched in between, to place the amendment on the ballot.The legislature’s first vote occurred last October – while early voting was under way but before it concluded on the day of the general election. Judicial questioning focused on whether that was too late, because early voting already had begun.Matthew Seligman, the attorney who defended the legislature, argued that the “election” should be defined narrowly to mean the Tuesday of the general election. In that case, the legislature’s first vote on the redistricting amendment occurred before the election and was constitutional, he told judges.But an attorney arguing for the…

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