{"id":15033,"date":"2026-05-09T03:07:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T03:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/09\/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-redistricting-vote-leaders-react-wsls\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T03:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T03:07:35","slug":"virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-redistricting-vote-leaders-react-wsls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/09\/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-redistricting-vote-leaders-react-wsls\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Supreme Court strikes down redistricting vote, leaders react – WSLS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bella Walser<\/a><\/span>, Community Journalist
Published:\u00a0Bella Walser<\/a><\/span>, Community Journalist
Virginia political leaders are reacting with starkly different perspectives after the state\u2019s Supreme Court struck down<\/a> the voter-approved congressional redistricting plan in favor of Democrats. Friday\u2019s decision means the result of the April 21 special election will not take effect, leaving the 6-5 congressional maps as is.
Former Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares called the decision a victory for the rule of law, while Democrat Trish White-Boyd, who led redistricting efforts, expressed disappointment and concern over broader national implications.
Miyares praised the ruling, arguing the original redistricting effort would have unfairly benefited Democrats.
\u201cThis was not a partisan ruling, it was a win for common sense and saying that we have to follow the rule of law \u2014 if you\u2019re gonna amend the constitution you can\u2019t do it illegally,\u201d Miyares said.
Miyares added that Virginia\u2019s current congressional maps \u2014 which are split 6-5 \u2014 have been recognized as among the fairest in the country.
\u201cAt the end of the day we\u2019re gonna go back to a map that we currently have in Virginia that nonpartisan observers have said is the fairest map in the entire country \u2014 it reflects communities of interest,\u201d he said.
\u201cPoliticians should not be picking their voters, voters should be picking their politicians,\u201d Miyares added.
White-Boyd, who served as senior advisor for Virginians for Fair Elections, said she was blindsided by the court\u2019s decision.
\u201cI was shocked. I couldn\u2019t believe what I was seeing,\u201d she said.
White-Boyd argued the ruling carries implications well beyond Virginia, as states across the country implement or consider redistricting ahead of the midterm elections.
\u201cThis referendum was for the entire country to bring back balance of power, and so far that has not happened, and with this ruling it may or may not happen,\u201d White-Boyd said.
She expressed frustration that the court did not appear to reflect the will of Virginia voters.
\u201cWe just felt like the Supreme Court would answer to the voters who said we wanted this map drawn the way it was, and they didn\u2019t do that, so I was very disappointed,\u201d White-Boyd said.
\u201cWe were concerned about all of America, and we thought this would give us an opportunity to level the playing field,\u201d she added.
The Virginia ruling comes as several states across the country have already redrawn their congressional maps ahead of the midterms.
States including Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina have implemented new congressional maps that add up to nine additional Republican seats. In California, Democrats gained five seats, and one additional seat in Utah, for a total of six new Democratic seats.
While the Supreme Court ruling is final, the debate over redistricting is far from over as multiple states look to redraw their maps ahead of the midterm elections.
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