Virginia Supreme Court Allows Redistricting Referendum

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday to lift a lower court order blocking a statewide referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment for mid-decade congressional redistricting, paving the way for voters to decide the issue on April 21. The decision, the second time the state's highest court has intervened to allow the vote to proceed, clears the path for early voting to begin on Friday in what could reshape the commonwealth's 11-member U.S. House delegation.

The referendum asks voters whether to amend the Virginia Constitution to permit the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with the standard redistricting process resuming after the 2030 census. Proponents argue the measure would address perceived imbalances in representation, while opponents, including Republican lawmakers and national party committees, have challenged the process as violating state law and constitutional requirements.

The latest ruling came in response to an emergency injunction issued by Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr., who had declared the referendum process illegal in a separate lawsuit brought by the...