Virginia Democrats pass map that could flip 4 US House seats, if courts and voters approve

[Wicked Blue]

Source: AP

Democrats passed a new congressional map through the Virginia legislature on Friday that aims to help their party win four more seats in the national redistricting battle. It’s a flex of state Democrats’ political power, however hurdles remain before they can benefit from friendlier U.S. House district boundaries in this year’s midterm elections.

A judge in Tazewell, a conservative area in Southwest Virginia, has effectively blocked a voter referendum on the redrawn maps from happening on April 21 by granting a temporary restraining order, issued Thursday.

Democrats are appealing that decision and another by the same judge, who ruled last month that Democrats illegally rushed the planned voter referendum on their constitutional amendment to allow the remapping. The state’s Supreme Court picked up the party’s appeal of the earlier ruling.

The judge’s order prohibits officials from preparing for the referendum through March 18. But early voting for it was slated to start March 6, meaning Democrats would have to get a favorable court ruling within two weeks to stick with that timeline.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/virginia-redistricting-democrats-map-referendum-d01bdd9925d14c24e25ec6d9133604ab

[Jilly_in_VA]

1. Keeping my fingers crossed

I've had shitty representation ever since I moved here. First Eric Cantor, then Bob Goodlatte (whose own son endorsed the opposition in his last bid for office), and now Ben Cline. I'm ready to live in a BLUE district!

[AverageOldGuy]

4. Ben Cline . . .

. . . a "shitty representative?"

Well, am I ever shocked and surprised.

[Martin68]

2. We, the Virginia voters, will approve because we are a majority.

[AverageOldGuy]

3. Here's the short version

As this bill was working its way through the General Assembly, Republicans who opposed the bill (which is all Republicans) found a friendly local magistrate judge in SW Virginia -- coal country, or that is, it was coal country back when coal was something -- who ruled the proposal was illegal and no referendum could be held.

VA Supreme Court brushed him aside and said go ahead with a statewide referendum on April 21.

Now, the Republicans have moved over one county in SW VA and found a friendly judge.

HOWEVER -- there are strong arguments being made that this latest judge's "ruling" is bullshit because the Supreme Court has already ruled.

The bill will gerrymander Virginia's 11 Congressional districts away from the current 6-D/5-R into 10-D/1-R. Which may explain why the Republicans are unhappy. Speaking as a Virginia resident, my legal view is that Republicans and their local traffic court judges can all go piss up a rope.