Virginia decide quickly blocks Democrats’ redistricting work on bid to flip 4 congressional seats

By OLIVIA DIAZ, Related Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court docket on Thursday successfully blocked Democrats’ deliberate April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, one other probably devastating blow to the occasion’s effort to choose up 4 extra U.S. Home seats within the nationwide redistricting battle.

Virginia Democratic Legal professional Basic Jay Jones has already vowed to attraction the ruling by a Tazewell Circuit Court docket, which granted a short lived restraining order requested by the Republican Nationwide Committee and the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee. The plaintiffs argue that the poll referendum’s timing and phrasing are unlawful.

The court docket’s determination on Thursday, whereas non permanent, might kill the referendum for this yr if it withstands attraction. The restraining order is in impact till March 18 and early voting is slated to begin March 6.

The Republican request for a restraining order — additionally signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith — argued that Democrats have been ramming redistricting-related payments via the legislature regardless of authorized hurdles that stop such a rushed course of.

In a press release, the GOP nationwide committee mentioned the newest ruling was “a large win in defending trustworthy illustration for each Virginian.”

It’s the second time Tazewell Circuit Court docket Decide Jack Hurley Jr. has dominated towards Democrats’ redistricting agenda. In January, he dominated {that a} decision for a constitutional modification was illegally handed in a particular legislative session and brought up too near an intervening election.

That case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court docket, and justices had mentioned they might permit the referendum to proceed whereas they evaluation the attraction.

President Donald Trump launched an uncommon mid-decade redistricting battle final yr by pushing Republican officers in Texas to redraw districts to assist his occasion win extra seats. The aim was for the GOP to carry on to a slender Home majority within the face of political headwinds that usually favor the occasion out of energy in midterms.

As an alternative, it created a nationwide redistricting battle. To date, Republicans consider they will win 9 extra Home seats in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democrats assume they will win six extra seats in California and Utah, and are hoping to totally or partially make up the remaining three-seat margin in Virginia.

Earlier than Thursday’s ruling, Democrats had been bullish in urgent forward with their effort, releasing a proposed map that might give their occasion 4 extra seats within the U.S. Home. The redistricting plan has since been launched within the legislature.

Virginia Home Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, mentioned Thursday he was assured the newest court docket order could be overturned.

“The Supreme Court docket of Virginia has already made clear that this matter will go to the voters, however Republicans sad with that ruling went again to their pleasant decide,” Scott mentioned in a press release that identified Hurley’s earlier determination.

Democrats have additionally tried to restrict which court docket venues can take up such circumstances. After Republicans filed their first swimsuit in Tazewell, a conservative space in Southwest Virginia, Democratic lawmakers handed laws saying authorized actions associated to constitutional amendments or their elections solely have one correct court docket venue: the Circuit Court docket of the Metropolis of Richmond.

Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the invoice into legislation and set the date for the redistricting referendum for April 21.

Of their court docket filings, Republicans have mentioned Tazewell continues to be the proper venue regardless of the brand new legislation. Hurley agreed.

Diaz is a corps member for The Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points.