In a 4-3 vote, Virginia’s Supreme Court voted to strike down the map approved by voters on the April 21 referendum.
To pass an amendment, Virginia’s constitution requires the state legislature to pass it twice, then send it to voters to confirm. The court determined that because the first round passed in the legislature during the early voting season of 2025, it violated timing restrictions set forth by the constitution and voided the entire process. An appeal has been filed by Attorney General Jay Jones, House Speaker Don Scott, and Scott Surovell, Speaker of the Virginia Senate.
This ruling feels less like a constitutional safeguard and more like a continuation of a broader trend: a refusal to accept the reality of a changing Virginia. From revisionist history suggesting that the confederacy won “states’ rights” in the Civil War to softening the blow of Trump’s 0-3 record in Virginia, MAGA’s vehement attempt to rebrand loss is peak participation trophy behavior.
“Kamala only won Virginia by 5 points!”
“The tyranny of the majority!”
“51-48 should be considered a draw!”
The irony is that the same voices calling for ‘fairness’ now were silent when margins were even thinner in 2021. I would have gladly considered it a draw when Glenn Youngkin won by an even tighter margin (50.58%) in 2021. Along with history and social studies, MAGA is angered by math every time they find themselves in the minority. Math is only “fair” when they win.
Yet, all is not lost.
The legislature may convene in a special session, complete this process within the mandated timeframe, and then have it voted on again at the general election. Theoretically, people could just be inclined to vote for the Democratic nominee in hopes that it would be enough, but they’d need to vote for both as an insurance policy.
We could just hope for a replay of November 2025 and wish for more red-to-blue victories in the midterm. But, the path is clear: Democrats will have to require of themselves a backbone, not just hope. In the words of Speaker Scott, the time for “squishy bed-wetting Democrats” has ended. We need a process that is intentional, unrelenting, and respects the will of the people to preserve what’s left of a civilized way of life.
