Our chair, Katharine Gorka, just made the case in The Daily Signal — and the case is now law. The Virginia Supreme Court today ruled the April 21, 2026 redistricting referendum unconstitutional, throwing out the 10-1 Democrat congressional map that Richmond was racing to lock in before the November 3, 2026 midterm.
The vote was 4-3 with no dissenting opinion. Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote the opinion. Fairfax conservatives who knocked doors against the referendum, who voted no on April 21, who refused to accept that the fight was over: this one is yours.
Chair Gorka’s column is reprinted in full below.
Virginia Supreme Court Rules Redistricting Referendum Unconstitutional: A Victory for Voters
By Katharine Gorka — May 8, 2026In an opinion written by Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, the Virginia Supreme Court has today ruled that the controversial redistricting referendum—narrowly approved by voters on April 21, 2026—was unconstitutional.
The court determined in a 4-3 vote, with no dissenting opinion, that the Democrat-led General Assembly violated key procedural requirements under the Virginia Constitution when it advanced the amendment during a rushed special session, bypassing proper public notice and timing mandates. As a result, the proposed congressional maps, which would have dramatically shifted the state’s delegation toward a 10-1 Democrat advantage, have been invalidated.
This ruling is unequivocally the best outcome for Virginia.
For years, the Commonwealth has prided itself on competitive elections and balanced representation, reflecting its status as a purple state with diverse communities from the suburbs of Northern Virginia to the more rural areas of Shenandoah Valley and Tidewater. The rejected maps were a blatant partisan power grab, designed not to ensure fair districts but to entrench one party’s dominance ahead of the 2026 midterms.
By striking them down, the court has preserved the integrity of the redistricting process and prevented the erosion of competitive districts that allow voters—not mapmakers—to decide elections.
Virginia’s maps should be drawn through transparent, constitutional means, not backroom maneuvers that ignore the state’s foundational rules. This decision upholds the principle that no legislature, regardless of its majority, can rewrite the rules midstream to favor itself. It protects minority-party voices, encourages broader accountability, and reinforces trust in our democratic institutions.
The fight is not over. According to Ken Cucinelli II, former attorney general of Virginia, four constitutional challenges have already been teed up, but for now, this is a huge win for good governance, the rule of law, and the long-term health of Virginia and the country.
Read Chair Gorka’s last paragraph again. Four constitutional challenges are already teed up. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (SD-34 — Mount Vernon) and the Democrat caucus that rammed this through a special session are not going to accept the ruling and walk away. Governor Abigail Spanberger has every incentive to keep the maps alive in court.
And while that legal fight unfolds, Virginia’s Fairfax-area congressional delegation — Don Beyer (VA-08), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), and James Walkinshaw (VA-11) — is on the November 3, 2026 ballot under the existing competitive map. The window the referendum was designed to slam shut is open again. Fairfax conservatives have a real chance to flip seats Richmond was trying to put out of reach.
Out-of-state Democrat PACs were already wiring money in. They will spend harder now that their referendum got tossed. The only thing that answers Soros money in Fairfax is Fairfax money in Fairfax hands — voter contact, mailers, ad reach, the precinct-level work that decides close races.
Donate to the Fairfax County Republican Committee today. Match your donation with a neighbor’s, and forward Chair Gorka’s column to the friend who keeps asking what they can do. The court bought us six months. What we do with those six months is on us.
Further reading: “Virginia Supreme Court Rules Redistricting Referendum Unconstitutional: A Victory for Voters” — Katharine Gorka, The Daily Signal, May 8, 2026.