The redistricting proposal, approved in a state referendum last month, would have allowed Democrats to exceptionally redraw Virginia’s congressional districts mid-decade, potentially expanding their 6-5 edge in the House of Representatives delegation to as much as 10-1.
The ruling preserves the current map and marks another flashpoint in an escalating national redistricting war between Democrats and Republicans as both parties scramble for a majority in the House.
US President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states such as Texas to redraw congressional maps in the party’s favour last year.
Democrats responded with countermoves in states like California and Virginia.
The redistricting fight took on a new dimension after a recent Supreme Court ruling saying race could not be a factor in mapping congressional districts, leading to a new last-minute push in several Republican-majority states.
Tennessee lawmakers last week passed a new map breaking up the state’s lone majority-Black district, with South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama also expected to pursue new maps if pending legal challenges break in favor of Republicans.
