State Watch

Virginia attorney general pledges to appeal injunction blocking redistricting referendum’s certification

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/22/26 7:24 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/22/26 7:24 PM ET

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Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) on Wednesday said he will appeal an injunction on the state’s redistricting referendum approved by voters.

“As I said last night, Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote,” Jones said in a statement shared on the social platform X. “We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court.”

Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled that the referendum was unconstitutional, according to a copy of the order obtained by Democracy Docket.

Hurley in February blocked the April 21 referendum, arguing against the timing and phrasing of the ballot question that would be posed to voters. He granted a motion from the Republican National Committee.

Virginia’s Supreme Court twice approved the referendum, including after Hurley’s first attempt to block the measure. The Supreme Court offered no opinion on the matter, instead stating last month that it was “the process, not the outcome, of this effort that we may ultimately have to address. Issuing an injunction to keep Virginians from the polls is not the proper way to make this decision.”

Voters in the Old Dominion chose to approve the referendum. Unofficial results tallied by the Virginia Department of Elections found that the measure won with 51 percent support, with 48 percent of Virginians voting against it.

The temporary amendment to the state constitution would give Democrats a chance to redraw congressional lines in all but one of Virginia’s House districts. It would give Democrats more potential victories in the November midterm elections. They currently hold a 6-5 edge.

Democrats focused on Virginia as their last chance to fight the redistricting battle ahead of the midterms. President Trump initially ordered red states, beginning with Texas, to redraw their congressional maps in order to maintain GOP control of the House next year. California was the first blue state where voters approved a measure to redraw its congressional map.

Trump slammed the outcome of Tuesday’s special election, accusing it of being “rigged.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) reacted to the special election results with dismay. He told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo he thinks “everyone loses for that.”

“I understand this was all that started after Texas decided to kind of do the same thing. I mean, I get the logic to do the things, but overall, we all lose at this point,” Fetterman said on “Cuomo,” arguing that two wrongs don’t make a right.

“The wrong thing doesn’t make it the right thing, but that’s where we are,” he added. “And if we continue to just attack the other side, whether it’s a red state or whether it’s a blue state, our democracy is degraded.”

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