Judge blocks Virginia Democrats’ congressional redistricting bid

A Virginia judge on Jan. 27 blocked a bid by state Democrats to enact a more pro-Democratic electoral map, dealing a setback to the party ahead of upcoming congressional elections.

The ruling by Judge Jack Hurley, Jr. of the Tazewell County Circuit Court comes amid a nationwide battle over redistricting between Republicans and Democrats before November’s midterm elections, when control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives will be at stake.

Democrats need to flip only three Republican-held districts to win a majority in the 435-seat U.S. House, making every seat critical.

Don Scott, the Democratic Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, said in a social media post that the party would appeal the ruling.

Virginia‘s Democratic-controlled legislature earlier this month approved a constitutional amendment that, if backed by voters, would permit lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional lines, potentially netting Democrats up to four U.S. House seats.

Hurley in his ruling said the process that state Democrats used to introduce the proposed amendment was invalid and happened too close to the state’s election last November.

The legislature had been expected to schedule a special election this spring, and lawmakers have said they would release a proposed new map before then so voters can make an informed decision.

Democrats currently hold six of the state’s 11 seats, but a new map stood to give them as much as a 10-1 advantage.

Redistricting typically occurs at the start of each decade to incorporate new U.S. Census data. But President Donald Trump, a Republican, ignited a rash of redistricting fights last summer, when he successfully urged Texas Republicans to draw a new congressional map taking aim at five Democratic incumbents.

In response, California Democrats advanced a new map targeting five Republicans there. Other states, both Republican- and Democratic-led, followed suit.