バージニア州民主党は月曜日、有権者が承認した選挙区地図を無効とした州最高裁の判決を覆すよう求め、連邦最高裁に上訴した。今回の動きは、連邦最高裁が「ルイジアナ州対カレイス事件（Louisiana v. Callais）」で投票権法を実質的に弱体化させる判断を下したことを受け、南部各州で選挙区の再画定が進む中で行われた。
州最高裁は4対3の評決で、バージニア州議会が住民投票で承認されたにもかかわらず、新しい地図を作成するための憲法改正において適切な手続きを怠ったと判断した。民主党側は、州最高裁が権限を逸脱しており、選挙規則に関する最終決定権は議会にあると主張している。また民主党は、中間選挙を前に裁判所の構成を見直すため、州判事の定年を75歳から54歳に引き下げる案も提案した。
X（旧Twitter）での初期の反応では、保守層のユーザーがバージニア州民主党による選挙区操作や上訴を批判した一方、『ザ・ネイション』誌は投票権保護に向けた戦略上のミスを指摘している。ニュース各社は、手続き上の問題を指摘しつつ、連邦最高裁への上訴という事実を客観的に報じている。懐疑的な声の中には、連邦法上の争点が含まれていないため、この動きを絶望的な「イチかバチかの賭け」と呼ぶものもある。
Virginia Democrats’ plea to the Supreme Court to save its new congressional map is not only doomed but also misguided. Here, @ElieNYC unpacks the lawsuit—and what the Democrats should have done.https://t.co/rHYVnUA5Qy
— The Nation (@thenation) 2026年5月14日
Never forget that Virginia Democrats knew their gerrymandering amendment was illegal. They knew that they were playing fast and loose with the Constitution.
— ROOZ (@ROOZVA) 2026年5月13日
They were betting on the state Supreme Court justices caring more about getting re-appointed than the law. That turned…
Legal experts are clowning on Virginia Democrats after their Hail Mary appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to greenlight their gerrymandered congressional map was addressed to… the Virginia Supreme Court, the same one that nullified the map and prompted the appeal. pic.twitter.com/fzfWGIECeX
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) 2026年5月13日
The Democrats Are 5 Years Too Late to the Voting Rights Fight | @ElieNYC
— SAVE A SEAT FOR ME (Simon & Schuster, 2026) (@NewBlackMan) 2026年5月13日
Virginia Democrats’ appeal to the Supreme Court to save their state’s new congressional map is a sad case in point.https://t.co/Xbnlf3dzCh | @thenation
Virginia Democrats ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review last week's Virginia Supreme Court ruling that overturned the redistricting plan. *Candidates in limbo as state waits for U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in... #Gerrymandering #HakeemJeffries Story Link > https://t.co/tNjGQIjzLb pic.twitter.com/nTwMNHZFJj
— Ted (@streetlevel) 2026年5月13日
AIによるレポート AIによって生成された画像
The Virginia Supreme Court struck down new congressional maps on Friday that voters had approved in April. Democrats are now considering responses, including a radical plan to replace the entire court, though leaders appear unlikely to pursue it immediately.
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved redistricting plan that Democrats hoped would add four House seats. The 4-3 ruling cited a procedural error in how the measure reached the ballot. The decision comes amid a broader wave of Republican-led map changes in Southern states.
AIによるレポート
The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Friday that a voter-approved redistricting plan violated state constitutional procedures. The 4-3 decision nullifies the April referendum and keeps the state's existing congressional maps in place. Democrats had sought the change to gain a stronger edge ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on April 29 that Louisiana's congressional map, which included a second majority-Black district, constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires proof of intentional discrimination, not just disparate impact. The decision, in Louisiana v. Callais, limits race-based redistricting and prompts new maps in several states.
AIによるレポート
Final results confirm Virginia voters' narrow 51-49% approval of the redistricting amendment on April 21, solidifying a Democratic-favoring congressional map expected to deliver 10 of 11 seats through 2030. Building on early projections, the outcome suspends the bipartisan commission amid national midcycle battles, with Republicans vowing court challenges.
The Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on April 29 that significantly limited the reach of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision in Louisiana v. Callais has prompted several states to redraw congressional maps. Lawmakers in affected states have cited partisan reasons for the changes.
AIによるレポート
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's April 29 ruling in Callais v. Louisiana—which struck down a second majority-Black congressional district as racial gerrymandering—civil rights advocates in the Deep South have condemned the decision as a threat to Black representation. States including Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana are redrawing maps, prompting vows of lawsuits and midterm mobilization.