A Virginia judge has ruled that the proposed congressional maps, which could have helped Democrats flip four Republican House seats in the midterms, are invalid, one day after voters approved the measure.

Virginia voters cast ballots in favor of the proposal 51.5% to 48.5% on Wednesday (April 22), which would have changed the state constitution to allow Democrats to override the nonpartisan redistricting process until 2030.

However, Judge Jack Hurley Jr. of the Tazewell County Circuit Court blocked the state from implementing the new districts on Thursday (April 23) in response to a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee last year, according to The Guardian.

The suit claims the General Assembly violated constitutional requirements to advance the amendment when it was approved back in January 2026. Hurley had previously ruled the amendment unconstitutional following the vote, but the state Supreme Court ruled in March 2026 that the vote could move forward, according to The Associated Press.

Hurley explained in the brief order that the referendum violated several clauses of the state constitution and skirted a 90-day public notice requirement. The vote will ultimately return to the state Supreme Court as the process of implementing the newly proposed maps remains paused.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones wrote in a statement from his office that the state will appeal the decision.

“My office will immediately file an appeal in the Court of Appeals. As I said last night, Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote. We look forward to defending the outcome of last night's election in court,” the statement reads.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) told reporters Wednesday that he expects the Supreme Court to expedite its decision, according to the Virginia Mercury, arguing that the closeness of the vote undermines Democratic claims that the mandate represents the full voice of the people.

“I actually think yesterday’s results helped us, because it shows how close Virginia is,” he said. “We’re not a 10-1 state, we’re still a 6-5 state. For any Democrat to be going around here spiking the ball today is just disingenuous.”

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters claimed the courts recognized the referendum as a “blatant power grab” by Democrats in an official statement, and praised Judge Hurley’s ruling as “a major victory for Virginians.”

The referendum vote represents the latest in a nationwide Democratic-led pushback towards President Donald Trump and Republicans’ efforts to remove Democratic-held seats in red states like Texas and Ohio by redrawing district lines before the midterms.

Texas Republicans managed to tilt five Democratic districts last year following pressure from Trump, and, in response, California voters approved a ballot measure for Governor Gavin Newsom that gave five GOP-held districts to Democrats, according to CBS News.

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