RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court on Thursday temporarily blocked Democrats from preparing for an April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, handing the party another setback in its efforts to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle.
The Tazewell Circuit Court in Virginia granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee over the ballot referendum’s timing and phrasing.
The motion, also signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith, argued that Democrats were ramming redistricting-related bills through the legislature despite legal hurdles that prevent such a rushed process.
It’s the second time Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. has ruled against Democrats’ redistricting agenda. In January, Hurley ruled that a resolution for a constitutional amendment was illegally passed in a special legislative session and taken up too close to an intervening election.
That case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, and justices had said they would allow the referendum to proceed while they review the appeal.
