Democrats went to bed Tuesday night feeling like they had pulled off a political masterstroke in Virginia. A narrow majority of voters had handed the left-wing machine exactly what it wanted — a congressional map so lopsided it would be the envy of every party boss who ever lived. Barack Obama was doing a victory lap. The champagne corks were flying. But in politics, a lot can change in 24 hours.
Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment on Tuesday, April 21, allowing the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to redraw the state's congressional map mid-decade. The newly drawn map is projected to flip Virginia's congressional delegation from its current 6-5 Democratic advantage to a stunning 10-1 Democratic supermajority.
The ballot question Virginia voters actually approved was a masterpiece of manipulative language. It asked whether the state constitution should be amended to "temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections." Imagine calling and handing one party 10 out of 11 seats in a competitive state. “Fairness.” What this really was was 51% of the voters decided they get to steamroll the other 49%, and they had the nerve to call it a democracy.
But then everything changed.
On Wednesday afternoon, not even a day after the polls had closed on the referendum vote, a Virginia circuit court ruled the newly passed map unconstitutional and issued an injunction blocking its certification and implementation. The court also denied a motion to stay a pending appeal.
Democrats, meet the judiciary. I think you know each other.
Now, obviously, it’s not over yet. The case now heads to Virginia's Supreme Court, where legal observers widely expect the map to be struck down. The lower court had already identified serious procedural violations — the legislature failed to follow its own rules in advancing the amendment during a special session, missed publication requirements, and arguably botched the two-step constitutional process required for amendments. These aren't technicalities. These are the guardrails that exist to stop exactly this kind of naked power grab.
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“This ruling is a major victory for Virginians,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “Democrats attempted to force an unconstitutional scheme to tilt congressional maps in their favor, but the court recognized it for what it is – a blatant power grab. The RNC will never stop fighting to ensure fair representation in the Commonwealth. Last night, Democrats only managed to squeak out a narrow 3-point victory despite burning tens of millions in cash and manipulating voters with misleading ballot language. Every step of the way, Democrats lied and deceived Virginians to push forward what has always been illegal under state law, and today’s decision once again reaffirms that.”
You can already hear the left gearing up to scream about "activist judges overriding the will of the people.” You know, the same thing that conservatives have been saying for years, like when courts struck down Voter ID laws passed by referendum or via legislature in several states over the years. The left didn't seem terribly concerned about the will of the people then.
Courts overriding legislatures and voters cut both ways. After years of judges blocking conservative initiatives at every turn, it is genuinely refreshing to watch Democrats get a taste of their own medicine. The same playbook they weaponized for decades is now standing between them and their most brazen electoral scheme in recent memory.
And I’m really enjoying it.
