Virginia Judge Blocks Certification of Electoral Redistricting Referendum as State Supreme Court Reviews Case

A Virginia circuit court judge blocked the certification of a voter-approved congressional redistricting referendum on Wednesday, one day after voters narrowly passed the measure that could have given Democrats four additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 elections.

Judge Jack Hurley of the Tazewell County Circuit Court issued an order halting the results of Tuesday’s referendum, citing that state lawmakers did not follow their own rules in passing the redistricting measure and describing the ballot language as “flagrantly misleading.” The ruling prevents state election officials from modifying election districts or proceeding with the new maps.

The referendum, which passed by a margin of three percentage points, allows for the temporary adoption of new district lines but would return control of redistricting to an independent commission in 2031. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat, condemned the ruling as judicial overreach and vowed to appeal immediately.

“My office will immediately file an appeal in the Court of Appeals,” Jones said in a statement. “As I said last night, Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote. We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court.”

House Democratic leaders celebrated the referendum’s passage as a potential path to retaking the U.S. House majority in November’s election, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noting its significance in the broader partisan gerrymandering battle ahead of the midterms.

Republicans welcomed the court’s intervention, with former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli praising the ruling on social media and noting multiple constitutional challenges to the referendum are still pending in Virginia courts, including three focused on the amendment process itself.

The Virginia Supreme Court had previously stayed a ruling by Judge Hurley before the referendum, allowing Tuesday’s vote to proceed while the case remains pending. State election officials confirmed they are reviewing the impact of the judge’s order on the certification process.

Supporters of the referendum, including the group Virginians for Fair Elections, maintained that voters understood the ballot measure and rejected claims of confusion, asserting that Republicans are now attempting to overturn the will of the voters through litigation after failing to win at the ballot box.