Overview
- The court ruled the referendum map unconstitutional because the General Assembly’s first vote happened during early voting, which broke the state’s two‑session rule that inserts a general election between votes.
- The decision requires Virginia to use its 2021 congressional map for the November elections, displacing a plan that was expected to give Democrats a 10–1 advantage.
- The invalidated push for the new map drew more than $38 million from groups linked to House Democratic leadership, which backed the failed ballot drive.
- Republicans welcomed the ruling, with President Donald Trump calling it a huge win and NRCC chair Richard Hudson praising a lawsuit his committee helped finance.
- The outcome reshapes U.S. House forecasts by removing a major Democratic boost in Virginia and sends candidates and voters back to district lines they have used since 2021.