Virginia Democrats ask Supreme Court to reinstate blocked congressional map

Politics Virginia Democrats ask Supreme Court to reinstate congressional map struck down by state high court By Melissa Quinn Melissa Quinn Senior Reporter, Politics Melissa Quinn is a senior reporter for CBSNews.com, where she covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Read Full Bio Melissa Quinn May 11, 2026 / 4:22 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Virginia Democrats asked the Supreme Court on Monday to restore its new voter-approved congressional map that aimed to give Democrats an edge in the upcoming midterm elections, days after it was blocked by the state's highest court.In a bid for emergency relief, the state Democratic leaders urged the Supreme Court to pause the Virginia high court's decision, arguing that it was "deeply mistaken" on issues of federal law. They called the Supreme Court of Virginia's ruling Friday "judicial defiance of the commonwealth's Constitution" and state statutes that established new congressional district lines to be used in the 2026 elections."By forcing the Commonwealth to conduct its congressional elections using districts different from those adopted by the General Assembly pursuant to a constitutional amendment the people just ratified, the Supreme Court of Virginia has deprived voters, candidates, and the Commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts," they wrote in their filing.Virginia is one of several states to undergo a mid-decade redistricting after Texas reconfigured its House district lines at President Trump's urging last year. California, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida have since followed suit. The Supreme Court allowed Texas and California to each use the new congressional voting boundaries for this year's House elections. Texas' new map is expected to net Republicans five seats, while California's is set to net Democrats five seats.In Virginia, voters approved a ballot measure last month that paved the way for the s...