Judge finds Virginia Democrats’ redistricting resolution illegal; new Maryland map advances

Democrats Face Legal Setbacks in Virginia Redistricting Effort, Make Progress in Maryland

Democrats faced a major setback Tuesday in their Virginia redistricting efforts while making incremental progress in Maryland, as the national battle over congressional maps continues to intensify ahead of November’s elections.

In Virginia, Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. struck down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed Democratic lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries. Judge Hurley ruled the legislature’s actions invalid on three grounds: lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session, failed to approve it before public voting began in last year’s general election, and did not publish the amendment three months prior to the election as required by law.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott announced Democrats would appeal the ruling. “Nothing that happened today will dissuade us from continuing to move forward and put this matter directly to the voters,” Scott said in a joint statement with other Democratic leaders. Supporters of the redistricting effort accused Republicans of “court-shopping” to find a sympathetic judge.

The ruling comes at a critical moment as Virginia lawmakers had planned to unveil their proposed new districts by the end of this week. Currently, the state’s House delegation consists of six Democrats and five Republicans, with district boundaries imposed by a court after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on a map following the 2020 census.

Meanwhile in Maryland, a state House committee advanced legislation containing a new congressional map that could threaten the state’s lone Republican representative, Andy Harris. Governor Wes Moore, the nation’s only serving Black governor, personally appeared before lawmakers to advocate for the map, framing the redistricting effort as a necessary response to what he called “political redlining” by Trump in other states.

“The president and his allies are doing everything in their power to silence the voices and trying to eliminate Black leadership – elected leadership – all over this country,” Moore testified. “So no, I will not sit quiet.”

However, the Maryland effort faces significant internal opposition from Senate President Bill Ferguson, a fellow Democrat, who fears mid-decade redistricting could backfire. Ferguson pointed to a 2021 map that was ruled unconstitutional by a judge who deemed it “a product of extreme partisan gerrymandering.” Ferguson maintains a majority of Democratic state senators oppose redistricting now.

The contentious hearings in Maryland reflected deep divisions among residents. Julie Quick, who lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Harris’ district, testified that the proposed map “takes a sledgehammer to rural voting rights.” Meanwhile, supporter Ben Vaughan urged lawmakers to act, telling them “our democracy is a house on fire” and the state needs to “turn on the fire hoses.”

These latest developments reflect the broader national battle over unusual mid-decade redistricting attempts that began last summer when former President Donald Trump urged Republican officials in Texas to redraw maps to help the GOP secure more House seats. The Republican party currently holds a narrow majority in the House and faces challenging political headwinds that typically favor the opposition party in midterm elections.

So far, the redistricting battles have resulted in nine additional seats that Republicans believe they can win in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, while Democrats think they can secure six seats in California and Utah. Democrats had hoped Virginia would help them reduce or eliminate this three-seat disadvantage.

The redistricting process remains in legal limbo in several states, with no guarantee that either party will win the seats they have redrawn. In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis plans to call a special session on redistricting in April, further complicating the national landscape.

As legal challenges and political maneuvering continue across the country, the outcome of these redistricting efforts could significantly impact which party controls the House of Representatives after November’s elections, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the remainder of President Biden’s term.