Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down 2026 Congressional Map, Citing State Constitutional Violation

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that Virginia Democrats violated the state constitution by fast-tracking the gerrymander referendum before voters. The court struck down the Democratic-friendly congressional map that Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law in February 2026.

Voters had narrowly approved the redistricting measure earlier in 2026. The struck-down map could have netted Democrats four GOP-held seats in November’s 2026 midterm elections. Virginians for Fair Elections raised north of $64 million in support of the redistricting effort.

Nearly $40 million of the pro-redistricting funding came from a super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The pro-redistricting campaign outspent the opposition 10 to 1 on television ads. Fox News reported that the legal challenge, which Republicans helped fund, proved decisive in overturning the map.

Republicans have redrawn maps in Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee that could carve out roughly 10 additional seats for the party in 2026. Hakeem Jeffries said the court’s ruling was an "undemocratic action" designed to disenfranchise voters. "We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision," he said.

“The funniest part about the court's ruling that Virginia’s map is unconstitutional garbage is that the Democrats burned $64M just to get it thrown out.”

“— Dustin Grage on social media Other observers reacted sharply on social media to the ruling and the money spent. Steve Guest said, "Democrats incinerated nearly $70 million on an unconstitutional gerrymandering scheme in Virginia." Charles Cooke wrote on social media, "So did Louise Lucas still 'F---ING FINISH IT?'" Sen. L. Louise Lucas had championed the gerrymander under the slogan "Ten F---ing One." After the map was signed, she wrote on social media, "You all started it and we f---ing finished it." Christian Martinez wrote on social media, "Tough luck, @SenLouiseLucas - merch just got Supreme Court’d straight to the clearance rack. Maybe try ‘Zero F---ing Wins’ next time." Chuck Ross wrote, "I guess it's fitting that her initials are LLL." The FBI raided Sen. L. Louise Lucas's office on Wednesday in Portsmouth, Va. The FBI probe is examining possible corruption related to a marijuana dispensary business owned by Sen. L. Louise Lucas. A spokesperson for Sen. L. Louise Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Fox News reported.”