{"id":2569853,"date":"2026-02-13T18:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T23:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T18:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T23:02:09","slug":"virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"VA High Court Greenlights Dem Gerrymandering Effort"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569853&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday allowed Democrats to move forward with a redistricting referendum that would dramatically alter the state\u2019s U.S. House map, changing it from five Republicans and six Democrats to one Republican and ten Democrats. The move comes despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-more-votes-than-voters-in-key-swing-states\/\" title=\"Trump: More ...s Than ...rs in Key Swing States\">ongoing legal challenges<\/a> and prior rulings that have questioned the legality of the plan, and it aims to take effect ahead of an April 21 special election for potential implementation before November\u2019s general election. If the referendum passes, the legislature would have the authority to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-seek-redistricting-changes-in-key-states-to-regain-house-majority\/\" title=\"... aim to alter redistricting in crucial states for House majority recovery.\">redraw congressional maps<\/a> instead of relying on a relatively new nonpartisan commission, which has only once produced maps before a court had to finalize the process.democrats argue the change is necessary in light of legal and demographic considerations, while opponents, including Virginians for Fair Maps, promise further legal action. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-skips-fact-checking-to-run-with-nurses-unverified-story-about-covid-patients-last-dying-words\/\" title=\"CNN Skips Fact...Checking To Run With Nurse&#039;s Unverified Story About COVID Patients &#039;Last Dying Words&#039;\">article notes<\/a> three possible outcomes: the referendum could fail, the court could side with Democrats, or the court could side with Republicans\u2014though the latter would be seen as nullifying a vote. Early voting is set to begin March 6.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zixSmLNXeDs\">ABC 7 News &#8211; WJLA \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/13\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Virginia%20High%20Court%20Greenlights%20Democrat%20Effort%20To%20Give%20Millions%20Of%20Republicans%20A%20Single%20Seat%20In%20Congress&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/13\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Virginia%20High%20Court%20Greenlights%20Democrat%20Effort%20To%20Give%20Millions%20Of%20Republicans%20A%20Single%20Seat%20In%20Congress&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/13\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/13\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Virginia%20High%20Court%20Greenlights%20Democrat%20Effort%20To%20Give%20Millions%20Of%20Republicans%20A%20Single%20Seat%20In%20Congress&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/13\/virginia-high-court-greenlights-democrat-effort-to-give-millions-of-republicans-a-single-seat-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The Virginia Supreme Court handed Democrats a massive win Friday, allowing them to move forward with a redistricting referendum that would gerrymander the commonwealth&rsquo;s U.S. House districts from five Republicans and six Democrats to one Republican and 10 Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have been looking for a way to push through their referendum, despite legal challenges and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vpm.org\/generalassembly\/2026-01-27\/ryan-mcdougle-paul-nardo-2026-midterm-elections-maps-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">court rulings<\/a> saying the efforts are illegal, in time for an April 21 special election that would allow the gerrymandered map to take effect before the November general election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-308526892\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Early voting is set to start March 6.<\/p>\n<p>If the referendum passes, it would allow the Virginia legislature the authority to redraw the congressional maps, instead of its nonpartisan commission. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginiaredistricting.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nonpartisan commission<\/a> is relatively new in Virginia, coming into play once since its creation by referendum in 2020. In that case, the commission failed to agree on maps, requiring the state Supreme Court to complete the process.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the failures of the commission, the gerrymandering plan from the Democrats is a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >mid-decade power-grab aimed<\/a> at disenfranchising Virginians in order to pad Democrat House seats ahead of a potential U.S. Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/13\/in-race-based-redistricting-battle-louisiana-urges-scotus-to-uphold-americas-color-blind-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> on the Voting Rights Act, which <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Majority-minority_districts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">already artificially gave<\/a> Democrats numerous seats based on racial gerrymandering.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"k18aT6m33zOIgeqQSfyPldtHTGOocYB2xrh2vf5F7ISPtbWuFBw44MsX7nJaxNipqU1VsbrHCDCW8iLpJVQwAAURyo9\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Virginia House of Delegates passed the 10-1D congressional map of the state<\/p>\n<p>Now heads to the Senate and will have to be approved by Virginia voters in April <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UOpN9kZJxi\">pic.twitter.com\/UOpN9kZJxi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Politics &amp; Poll Tracker &#128225; (@PollTracker2024) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/2021297626897961126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and former U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, both Republicans and co-chairs of a group called Virginians for Fair Maps, which is aimed at stopping this process, put out a statement Friday promising further legal challenges.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Though we firmly believe this referendum is illegal, the court has allowed it to move forward before final judgement. There will be further legal action on this matter,&rdquo; they said. &ldquo;All across Virginia, voters are speaking out against this brazen political power grab that allows politicians in Richmond to choose their own voters. It&rsquo;s wrong, it&rsquo;s illegal, and it will fail.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While allowing the special election to move forward, the Virginia Supreme Court bizarrely set itself up to hear the case after the election occurs, meaning there appears to be three potential outcomes: The referendum fails and the case <a href=\"https:\/\/wset.com\/news\/local\/virginia-supreme-court-allows-democrats-plan-to-redistrict-virginia-to-appear-on-ballot-politics-republican-congressional-map-commonwealth-va-fishwick-richards-february-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">would likely<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThePoliticalHQ\/status\/2022367287592808619?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not be heard<\/a>; the referendum is approved and the court agrees with Democrats, allowing the gerrymander; the referendum is approved and the court agrees with Republicans, throwing it out.<\/p>\n<p>The last scenario is unlikely, since the court would be seen as nullifying a vote.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/battle-house-runs-through-virginia-court-oks-high-stakes-redistricting-vote?intcmp=xpal_politics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">talking<\/a> as if things could go their direction, with state House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Va., saying, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re going to make our case to Virginians that this is unfair. This is unprecedented. And, quite frankly it&rsquo;s against the law we believe.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>State Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Va., said, &ldquo;Last October, democrats took an unprecedented step to illegally pass a constitutional amendment at the 11th hour. The judiciary agreed, and the Supreme Court has taken up and fast-tracked the case. Make no mistake, the rule of law will prevail.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But beyond the legal challenges that they could present, the state and national Republican parties, as well as other organizations, face an urgent need to set their sights on a massive get-out-the-vote operation in Virginia.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Breccan F. Thies<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/breccan-thies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abigail-spanberger\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/congressional-districts\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">congressional districts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gerrymandering\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gerrymandering<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Virginia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virginia-supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Virginia Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; The Virginia Supreme Court allowed Democrats to proceed with a redistricting referendum that would reshape the U.S. House map from 5 Republicans and 6 Democrats to 1 Republican and 10 Democrats.<br \/>\n&#8211; If approved, the referendum would give the state legislature authority to redraw congressional districts, replacing the relatively new nonpartisan commission, which has only produced maps once before the court intervened.<br \/>\n&#8211; Democrats argue the move is a mid-decade power grab to pad Democratic seats ahead of a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. Republicans and Virginians for Fair Maps say the referendum is illegal and will mount further legal challenges.<br \/>\n&#8211; Early voting starts March 6, with a special election on April 21 to implement the map before the November general election.<br \/>\n&#8211; The court plans to hear the case after the election, creating three possible outcomes: the referendum fails and the case is moot; the court upholds the referendum; or the court blocks it (the latter is unlikely since it would appear to nullify a vote). Republicans emphasize legal challenges and a broad get-out-the-vote push to counter the measure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2569854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-13-153047.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[22850,73787,5468],"class_list":["post-2569853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gerrymandering","tag-high-court-2","tag-virginia"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-13-153047.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569857,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569853\/revisions\/2569857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}