Court Blocks Virginia Redistricting Map

The Supreme Court refused Friday evening to put Virginia's new congressional map back in place for the 2026 elections.

State of play: Virginia Democrats redrew the state's congressional map in a way that would have strongly favored their party. Virginia's Supreme Court struck it down. Democrats then asked SCOTUS to reinstate it. The answer came at 6:30 p.m. EDT Friday—a brief, unsigned order: no.

Catch up quick:

• Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Democratic legislators filed the emergency request
• The court received Jones's reply brief at 6:15 p.m. and issued the denial 15 minutes later
• The old map stays in effect for 2026

What they're saying: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger didn't take it quietly.

"The Supreme Court of the United States has now joined the Supreme Court of Virginia in choosing to nullify an election and the votes of more than three million Virginians." — Gov. Abigail Spanberger, on X

Between the lines: The speed of the denial—15 minutes after the final brief landed—signals the justices saw no emergency warranting intervention. That's not a ruling on the merits of the map. It's the court saying Virginia's own courts can sort this out.

The big picture: This is the second time in a short stretch that federal courts have declined to override a state court's redistricting call in favor of Democratic challengers. Courts have generally grown more skeptical of last-minute pre-election map swaps, regardless of which party benefits.

What to watch: Virginia's 2026 congressional races will now run on the previous map. Whether Democrats pursue further legal challenges before the election cycle heats up is the next question.