Judge Blocks Virginia's Map a Day After Voters Approved It

Virginia's newly approved congressional map is already on hold after a state judge on Wednesday stopped officials from certifying Tuesday's narrow referendum result, USA Today reports. Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. sided with the Republican National Committee, which argued the ballot question authorizing the map overhaul was improperly presented to voters. Hurley called the measure "flagrantly misleading" and said lawmakers failed to follow the process required for a constitutional amendment. The referendum passed by 3 percentage points, WJLA reports.

Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones said he will appeal and "looks forward" to defending the measure, adding that "an activist judge should not have power of the People's vote." Virginia's Democrat governor framed the referendum's passage as a move to "push back against a president who claims he is 'entitled' to more Republican seats in Congress," CNBC reports. The map has already drawn multiple legal challenges; the Supreme Court of Virginia previously allowed the referendum to appear on the ballot despite a separate case claiming the promise to "restore fairness" in redistricting was itself deceptive. The high court is expected to weigh in on the referendum's legality in the coming weeks.

Under the disputed map, Democrats—who currently control six of Virginia's 11 US House seats—could gain a 10-1 edge. Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics had warned on election night that "this map might not be in effect this November," even if voter approval cleared "a huge hurdle." The fight over the map is part of a broader partisan struggle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.