The Virginia Supreme Court on April 28 declined a request from Democrats and the state to stay a lower court ruling that blocks certification of results from last week’s special election on a congressional redistricting amendment, leaving the voter-approved maps on hold for now.
🚨 The Virginia Supreme Court denied a request by AG Jones to pause a lower court order that blocked the certification of the redistricting referendum.
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) April 28, 2026
The election will remain uncertified as the legal process plays out. pic.twitter.com/oCbaS7rQfd
Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ruled on April 22 — one day after voters approved the map — that the Democratic-led General Assembly violated constitutional and procedural requirements in placing the redistricting amendment on the ballot. As Zeale News previously reported, Hurley’s order invalidated the amendment and barred state election officials from certifying the results.
Democrats appealed and asked the state’s highest court to pause, or stay, the injunction while the appeal proceeds. Though the Virginia Supreme Court has not issued a final ruling on the merits of the case, its April 28 refusal leaves Hurley’s block on certification in place. The state’s high court is expected to issue a final decision on the appeal in the coming weeks.
As Zeale News previously reported, voters narrowly approved the amendment April 21 by a roughly 51-49 margin. The measure would allow new congressional district maps drawn by Democrats to take effect, which could have given the party up to four additional seats in the 2026 midterms.
The dispute comes amid a broader national fight over mid-decade redistricting, with several states pursuing new maps that could shift partisan advantages. On April 27, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a Republican-drawn Texas congressional map that could give Republicans up to five additional House seats in the midterms.