Virginia Supreme Court tosses Dem-backed redistricting map, upending expected 10–1 edge

Virginia Supreme Court tosses Dem-backed redistricting map, upending expected 10–1 edge

GOP lawmakers argued the map was an 'unconstitutional power grab'

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Virginia redistricting map ruled unconstitutional, sparking nationwide debate

Republicans in Virginia celebrate a circuit court ruling that the Democrat-led redistricting map was unconstitutional. Salena Zito, a Pittsburgh-based columnist, joined 'Fox & Friends First' to react.

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a new, voter-approved redistricting map, delivering a significant victory for Republicans in the state ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections.

"We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia," the Virginia Supreme Court said in the ruling. "This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy."

The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments last month over the newly passed congressional map, which voters in the state approved by a narrow 51% to 49% margin.

The ballot measure would have given the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state's current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through 2030.

It was also expected to yield a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia's congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge. Republicans quickly sued to block the effort, prompting the state supreme court to hear oral arguments last month.

President Donald Trump immediately took to social media Friday to praise the ruling as a major victory for the Republican Party "and America."

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander," Trump said on Truth Social.

"Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia."

But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin argued that "a group of unelected judges on the Virginia Supreme Court chose to put partisan politics over the will of the people by invalidating the referendum and rejecting the votes of millions of Virginians."

Meanwhile, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat, lamented the ruling as one that "put politics over the rule of law," and said his team is evaluating "every legal path" forward. It was not immediately clear what those steps might entail, however, or if the state might try to kick the case up to the Supreme Court for review.

"This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it fuels the growing fears across our nation about the state of our democracy," Jones said in a statement. "My team is carefully reviewing this unprecedented order and we are evaluating every legal pathway forward to defend the will of the people and protect the integrity of Virginia’s elections."

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones' office for comment.

The Virginia state Supreme Court building in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters praised the ruling Friday, describing it on social media as a "HUGE WIN" for election integrity.

"This was a clear violation of the Constitution — that’s why the RNC stepped in to stop Democrats’ rigged maps and WON!" he said.

"Justice has been served," former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.
"From the beginning, this was the most obvious violation of Virginia’s Constitution," he said. "Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians."

Virginia's former attorney general, Jason Miyares, also praised the ruling. "If Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Democrats had paid attention my October 2025 AG’s Opinion that made clear this scheme was unconstitutional and illegal, they could have saved more than $70 million, countless headaches, and months of obnoxious television ads defending the indefensible," he said on X.

Meanwhile, Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, characterized it as a reversal of the democratic process.

"Last month, millions of Virginians cast their ballots and stood up against the Republican power grab. Today, four unelected judges decided to cast aside the will of the voters," DelBene said. "This is a setback that sends a terrible message to Americans – the powerful and elite will do everything they can to silence you.

Virginia is one of the latest battlegrounds in the redistricting war pitting Trump and GOP lawmakers against Democrats.

Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Joe Gruters speaks during the RNC Winter Meeting at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort in Santa Barbara, California, on January 23, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump last spring floated the idea of a rare — if not unheard of — mid-decade congressional redistricting effort in an effort to prevent the so-called "blue wave" that saw Democrats retake the House majority in the 2018 midterms during his first term in office.

The effort was aimed at redrawing congressional district maps in GOP-led states to pad the fragile House majority and keep control of the chamber after the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

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Asked last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats to maps across the country, Trump said, "Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five."

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

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