Virginia Democrats filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday seeking to overturn a state court decision that struck down a voter-approved congressional map. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais effectively weakened the Voting Rights Act, prompting several Southern states to redraw districts.
The state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Virginia’s legislature failed to follow proper procedures when amending the constitution to create the new map, despite its approval in a voter referendum. Democrats argue the state court overstepped its authority and that the legislature holds final say on election rules. They also proposed lowering the mandatory retirement age for state justices from 75 to 54 to reshape the court before the midterms.
