Virginia Supreme Court blocks Dems' map. Trump wins big in Indiana. Supreme Court preserves remote mifepristone access for now.
Virginia Supreme Court blocks Democrats’ new maps
On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court blocked Democrats’ recent voter-ratified congressional map from going into effect for the November midterm elections. On April 21, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow the Virginia legislature to redraw the congressional map that was expected to net Democrats an additional four seats in Congress. Friday’s ruling found “that Democratic lawmakers did not meet the procedural requirements to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot,” saying “the state Legislature began their constitutional amendment process too late to be lawful.” This blow to Democrats’ redistricting hopes follows a string of Republican advances in redrawing red state maps to their advantage.
The Supreme Court finalized its decision in the Callais redistricting case, bypassing its usual 32-day waiting period. This decision came at the request of “non-African-American” voters who were plaintiffs in the original case, and it will permit Louisiana to redraw its maps in time for the 2026 midterms, likely netting Republicans one or possibly two seats in Congress. On Thursday, Tennessee also passed a new map eliminating the one remaining Democratic district in the state. According to NPR, Tennessee’s new congressional map “would crack Shelby County — home to majority-Black Memphis — into three different districts.” And on Monday, Governor Rob DeSantis signed Florida’s new House district map into law, one designed to net Republicans up to four new seats in Congress. The new map was immediately challenged in court, with plaintiffs arguing that it violates the Florida Fair Districts Amendment approved by voters in 2010. The Florida Democratic Party declared, “In Florida, there is still a wall Republicans cannot get past: the Fair Districts amendment, written into our state constitution by voters. Ron DeSantis and his allies are already trying to use today’s SCOTUS ruling as cover for their own illegal, partisan power grab. It will not work here.”
