A Virginia judge on Tuesday ruled that a Democrat-led effort to radically redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections is invalid.
The ruling has dealt a major setback to plans that would have dramatically reshaped the state’s House delegation.
Judge Jack Hurley Jr., of the Tazewell County Circuit Court, issued a ruling declaring a proposed constitutional amendment advanced by the Virginia General Assembly to be procedurally invalid under state law.
Democrats pursued the measure after securing unified control of state government in last year’s elections, holding both the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion.
During a special legislative session, Democrat lawmakers introduced a resolution that would have authorized the legislature to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections.
Under the proposed map, Democrats would have been positioned to control 10 of Virginia’s 11 U.S. House seats, a dramatic shift in a state where nearly half of voters supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Virginia’s current congressional map, drawn following the 2020 Census, has produced a 6–5 split delegation, reflecting the state’s competitive political landscape.
Judge Hurley invalidated the proposed amendment on procedural grounds, citing multiple violations of Virginia law.
In his ruling, he found that lawmakers failed to properly include the amendment in the special session agenda, did not approve the amendment before voting began in the prior general election, and neglected to publish the proposal for public notice at least three months ahead of that election, as required by statute.
The ruling follows a January 13 decision by the same court denying a Republican request for an emergency injunction to halt the process while it was underway.
At that time, the court cited separation-of-powers concerns and indicated it would rule only after the legislature completed its actions.
The lawsuit was brought by Republican legislators challenging the legality of the amendment.
Tuesday’s decision prevents the measure from advancing to a statewide referendum, effectively blocking any mid-decade redistricting under the proposal.
As a result, Virginia’s 2026 elections will proceed using the existing congressional maps.
Supporters of the amendment, including Virginians for Fair Elections, have signaled plans to appeal the ruling.
Any successful appeal, however, would face a tight timeline, as candidate filing deadlines and primary elections would need to be restructured to accommodate new district boundaries.
For now, the ruling preserves the current congressional map and halts Democratic efforts to redraw Virginia’s districts ahead of the next midterm cycle.
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