#NEW House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reacted sharply Friday after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to strike down the Democrats’ mid-decade redistricting effort.
The court held that Virginia Democrats violated the state constitution by rushing a constitutional amendment onto the April 21 ballot without the required intervening election between the two legislative sessions mandated by law.
The rejected map would have transformed Virginia’s congressional delegation from a 6-5 Democratic edge to 10 Democrats and 1 Republican despite the state voting 46% republican in presidential elections.
Jeffries saying,
“The decision by the Virginia Supreme Court to overturn the will of more than three million voters will not stand… This is an unprecedented and undemocratic action… MAGA Republicans have adopted voter suppression as a strategy… We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision.”
Here’s the problem, The Virginia Constitution requires two legislative votes separated by an intervening election before amending the constitution via ballot.
Democrats skipped that step in their in their hurry to set up a massive gerrymander.
The court read the text of the state constitution and enforced it.
This isn’t voter suppression. It isn’t Jim Crow. It isn’t racism.
It is a court applying the language of the state constitution that Democrats chose to ignore.
But instead of adhering to the constitution and the states high court, Jeffries immediately delegitimized the court itself — accusing judges who rule against his party as extremists engaged in a right-wing conspiracy.
Critis say this style of rhetoric, that frames every check on Democrat power as an attack on democracy is in fact ruining democracy.
They say it erodes public trust in neutral opinions and sets the stage for major escalation.
Adding, If Democrats want a different map, they should follow the constitution next time. The rule of law applies even — and especially — when it’s inconvenient.
