By Shirleen Guerra
(The Center Square) – The Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday struck down the state’s redistricting amendment 4-3 on Friday.
Virginia’s congressional maps are to remain in place for the 2026 election cycle. The decision wipes out the results of the April 21 statewide referendum, which voters had approved by roughly 51.7%-48.3%.
In a majority opinion written by Justice Arthur Kelsey, the court ruled the General Assembly violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution requiring a constitutional amendment to pass through two legislative sessions with an intervening general election between them.
The court found lawmakers approved the amendment on Oct. 31, 2025, after more than 1.3 million Virginians had already cast ballots during early voting in the general election.
“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” Kelsey wrote in the opinion.
The decision affirms a lower court ruling from Tazewell County Circuit Court that blocked certification of the referendum results while the case moved through the appeals process.
Unofficial results from the April referendum showed 1,604,276 Virginians voted in favor of the amendment and 1,499,393 voted against it, a margin of about 3.38%.
The ruling means congressional maps drawn by the Virginia Supreme Court in 2021 will remain in effect for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
Those maps and voters’ choices produce a 6-5 split, majority Democrats, in Virginia’s congressional delegation. Maps previously approved by the General Assembly were widely expected to give Democrats an advantage in 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Chief Justice Cleo Powell, joined by Justices Mann and Fulton, dissented, saying the Oct. 31 legislative vote occurred before Election Day on Nov. 4 and therefore satisfied the constitutional requirement.
Republicans quickly celebrated the decision Friday.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on social media that “justice has been served” and that “the constitution prevailed.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee also claimed victory, calling the amendment effort an “illegal Virginia Democrat gerrymander.”
Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, praised the ruling and called it “an enormous victory” for the rule of law.
Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones said the decision “silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the commonwealth” and accused the court of putting “politics over the rule of law.”
Jones said his office is reviewing possible next legal steps.
The legal fight over the amendment became one of the country’s most closely watched redistricting battles ahead of the 2026 elections.
