Va. vote approves redistricting, judge strikes case to halt curfew, ceasefire: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Va. vote approves redistricting, judge strikes case to halt curfew, ceasefire

1. Virginia voters approved a Democrat-backed measure to allow for mid-decade redistricting, AP reports.

   Virginia votes to give Democrats potential four-seat pick-up in Congress as redistricting measure passes

   Currently, Democrats hold a 6-5 advantage in Virginia's congressional delegation, but the new map proposed by state lawmakers could give them a 10-1 advantage. With 95% of the votes tallied, AP reports that the redistricting measure passed by a margin of 51.4% to 48.7%. The move by Virginia state Democrats to redraw the congressional maps follows similar efforts in Republican-led states like Texas and North Carolina, where redrawn districts favored the GOP.

   In Hampton Roads, Virginia's Second Congressional District — which encompasses all of Virginia Beach, Suffolk, and Franklin, part of Chesapeake, and Accomack, Northampton and Isle of Wight counties — will be notably altered under Democrats' proposed map. Some precincts from this purple district, currently represented by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R), could be shifted to Virginia's Third Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Bobby Scott (D), to dilute the voting power of Republican-leaning areas. Kiggans is set for a rematch in the 2026 midterm elections against former Rep. Elaine Luria, the Democrat she ousted in 2022.

   However, the public vote may not be the final word: the Virginia Supreme Court will consider whether the redistricting plan is illegal in a case that could make the referendum results meaningless. A Tazewell County judge ruled that the redistricting push was illegal for several reasons. Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. said lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session. He ruled that their initial vote failed to occur before the public began casting ballots in last year’s general election and thus didn’t count toward the two-step process. He also ruled that the state failed to publish the amendment three months before that election, as required by law. If the state Supreme Court agrees with the lower court, the results from Tuesday's vote could be rendered moot.
   

2. A judge striked a case on Tuesday that was attempting to halt the recently enacted all-ages curfew at the Oceanfront, according to Virginia Beach reporter John Hood.

   Judge strikes case challenging VB curfew, Tim Anderson says he plans to refile

   The plaintiff, Lisa Lawrence, did not have standing when it came to placing a protective order against the curfew zone, the judge ruled Tuesday. She lives just outside the area where the curfew is enforced. "It's because she does not have a harm that she can articulate that is different than everybody else in the public, that was the basis for the standing ruling," Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton said.

   Tim Anderson — the Virginia Beach attorney who filed this lawsuit — is refiling a protective order, which will name a new plaintiff, Stephanie Vann, who he says lives inside the curfew zone and was one of three people arrested for violating the curfew over the weekend. He said he will ask for another emergency hearing this week. On Friday, Anderson cited Virginia's status as a "Dillon Rule" state as the basis for his lawsuit challenging the stricter Oceanfront curfew. In a post made on social media, Anderson also pointed to SB1455 as a reason why he says the new curfew is unlawful.

   "Virginia Beach’s attempt to impose curfews across multiple weekends in a single ordinance is not what the General Assembly intended—it’s an improper expansion of emergency power, and we’ve asked the court to stop it," Anderson said in a post on social media. A spokesperson for the City of Virginia Beach sent the following statement to News 3 on Friday after the lawsuit was first filed. “The City of Virginia Beach is aware of the lawsuit filed regarding the recently adopted curfew ordinance, and we intend to defend it. Our focus remains on ensuring public safety at the Oceanfront.”
   

3. President Donald Trump has announced an extension of the ceasefire in the Iran war, giving mediators additional time to arrange a new round of face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Iran, AP reports.

   Trump said he made the move, just hours before the current ceasefire was to expire, at Pakistan’s request as he waits for a “unified proposal” from Iran. The announcement averted a resumption of fighting for the time being. But gaps between the sides remain wide, a planned trip to Pakistan by Vice President JD Vance to lead the American negotiating team remains on hold and a U.S. blockade of Iran remains in place.

   Two regional officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the United States and Iran had signaled they will hold a new round of talks. Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation that top negotiators, Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, were expected to lead their teams. But late Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said there was no “final decision” on whether to attend. The spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, told state TV that the lack of a decision was because of “contradictory messages” and “unacceptable actions” from the Americans, in particular the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.

   Vance, meanwhile, called off a trip to Pakistan, as Pakistani leaders raced to try to salvage the talks. With the deadline looming, Trump announced that the ceasefire would be extended indefinitely. Trump said he had taken the step at Pakistan’s request and blamed what he described as Iran’s “seriously fractured” leadership for indecision. He said Pakistan had asked him to wait until Iran’s leaders “can come up with a unified proposal.” Still, he said the U.S. blockade would continue.
   

This morning's weather: Warmer & breezy today, Tracking a few showers

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says highs will climb to near 80 today, about 20 degrees warmer than yesterday. Expect mostly sunny skies in the morning with clouds building in this afternoon. An isolated shower is possible this afternoon to evening. The wind will kick up again today, SW at 10 to 20 with gusts to 30 mph.

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