This morning, by a vote of 4-3, the Virginia Supreme Court declared the ballot initiative supporting a partisan gerrymander of Virginia's congressional districts to violate the Virginia Constitution.
The majority opinion by Justice Kelsey begins:
On March 6, 2026, the General Assembly of Virginia submitted to Virginia voters a proposed constitutional amendment that authorizes partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts in the Commonwealth. We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia. This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.
