バージニア州最高裁は金曜日、有権者が承認した選挙区再編計画が州憲法の手続きに違反しているとの判決を下した。4対3の評決により、4月に実施された住民投票は無効となり、同州の現行の選挙区割りは維持される。民主党は2026年の中間選挙に向けて優位性を高めるべく変更を求めていた。
裁判所は、議員らが憲法改正に必要なプロセスに従わなかったと認定した。議員らは期日前投票が既に始まっていた特別会期中に当該案を採決しており、一部の有権者が議員選出時にその問題を検討する機会を奪われていた。アーサー・ケルシー判事は多数意見の中で、この手続き上の違反が住民投票の公正性を損なうものであり、同投票を無効とするべきだと述べた。
Xの保守的なユーザーらは、バージニア州最高裁の判決を民主党による選挙区再編計画に対する憲法上の勝利として称賛した一方、民主党寄りのアカウントからは、有権者の意思を覆し民主主義を損なう決定であるとして不満の声が上がった。また、司法の行き過ぎた関与に対して懐疑的な見方を示すユーザーも見られた。
The Virginia Supreme Court answered this question on pages 7–9 of its opinion (linked below). Under Virginia Supreme Court precedent from 1912, Virginia courts cannot review laws until after the laws are finalized, which in this case was AFTER the referendum.…
— Kimberly Morin (@Conservativeind) 2026年5月9日
Supreme Court of Virginia strikes down redistricting amendment, keeps current maps in place - Virginia Mercury
— Resister Sister (@SJrzyGirl) 2026年5月8日
This was the people’s choice
Democracy is dying https://t.co/AfCwBe4VlR
🔴 HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE ENTERED FULL DOOMSDAY MODE AND IT IS GETTING WORSE BY THE HOUR.
— VanX (@RussellNeilVx) 2026年5月9日
🚨 The Virginia Supreme Court just OBLITERATED the Democrat redistricting referendum — the deceptive scheme that was supposed to hand them four seats and equalize the gerrymander war.
⛔ The… pic.twitter.com/dsvdKnT1NC
So now it doesn’t even matter if voters vote for it, Courts just say no. Sad what’s this Country became since the Baby Boomer generation. Supreme Court of Virginia strikes down Democrats’ redistricting plan, keeps current maps in place - Virginia Mercury https://t.co/klhMb5SLyQ
— Jean Paul Lavigne (@JPL0575) 2026年5月8日
Virginia Supreme Court just delivered a massive smackdown, striking down Democrats’ controversial redistricting referendum as flat-out unconstitutional. Power grab denied. Constitution upheld.
— The Shift (@andrenftart) 2026年5月8日
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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.
A Tazewell County Circuit Court has paused certification of a Virginia referendum passed on April 21, 2026, that returns congressional redistricting power to the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. The measure passed with 51.5% of the vote, reversing a 2020 bipartisan commission approved by 66% to 34%. Legal challenges cite violations of the state constitution's amendment process.
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Virginia voters on April 21 approved a ballot measure that hands redistricting power to the Democratic-majority General Assembly, potentially giving Democrats a 10-1 edge in the state's 11 congressional seats. The 'yes' side led with 50.30% of the vote when 82% were counted, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8:49 p.m. local time. The outcome could flip four Republican-held seats ahead of November 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.
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The U.S. Supreme Court last week issued a ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that dismantled key elements of the Voting Rights Act. The decision has prompted swift redistricting efforts in multiple states. Revelations about the lead plaintiff have also surfaced.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order on Monday allowing its April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais to take immediate effect, bypassing the usual 32-day waiting period. This enables Louisiana to cancel its congressional primaries and redraw maps before the 2026 midterms. The move sparked a sharp exchange between Justice Samuel Alito's concurrence and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's dissent.
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In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's April 29, 2026, decision in Louisiana v. Callais declaring the state's congressional map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander (as covered previously in this series), Louisiana has suspended its upcoming primaries for U.S. House races. The ruling affects one of the state's two Democratic-held majority-Black districts. Other primaries, including U.S. Senate, proceed May 16.