Republicans erupted in euphoria and mockery after the Virginia Supreme Court issued an earth-shattering rebuke of Democrats’ hasty efforts to draw out all but one Republican from the Old Dominion’s congressional delegation — with the case’s lead plaintiff telling Fox News Digital the decision vindicated critics of the plan.
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to invalidate Democrats’ major redistricting effort, as Justice D. Arthur Kelsey specifically called out Attorney General Jay Jones and said the Democratic-led legislature’s failure to properly follow state law in its timeline for the redistricting amendment — including an “intervening election” clause — was the reason, not politics or which side won April’s popular vote.
Celebration erupted almost immediately as Republicans and “Vote NO” proponents mocked the alleged “gerrymander’s” proverbial architect, Senate President Pro Tem Lillie Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, whose office and cannabis dispensary were raided by the FBI earlier this week.
Former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican who, along with former AG Jason Miyares, led the charge against the redistricting, celebrated in a tweet storm of analysis within moments of the decision.
VIRGINIA COURT DECLARES STATE’S REDISTRICTING VOTE WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN LEGAL WIN FOR REPUBLICANS
Cuccinelli mocked Lucas, who often launched profane attacks on redistricting critics like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and depicted Virginia’s GOP delegation as future McDonald’s workers or people being pulled away from potential chairmanships.
“BTW [by the way] the vote was 4-3 — maybe Senator Lucas will sell ‘4 f’in 3’ t-shirts or maybe 6-f’in-5 t-shirts.”
“The court explains its decision not to intervene prior to the referendum, and quotes the exchange with Justice Russell at the beginning of oral argument about the outcome (i.e., “yes” winning by 3 pts) in which [Jones’] lawyer conceded the outcome doesn’t matter,” Cuccinelli added in one of several tweets.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who backed the referendum, rebuked the ruling and President Donald Trump in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“More than three million Virginians cast their ballots in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, and the majority of Virginia voters voted to push back against a president who said he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress with a temporary and responsive referendum. They made their voices heard,” Spanberger said.
The Democrat, elected in a 2025 landslide election that became a key timepoint of the referendum process analyzed by the state’s high court, added that she is disappointed in the news, but will renew her focus on ensuring voters have “all the information necessary” to vote in November under the current map.
“[B]ecause, in those elections, we the voters will have the final say,” Spanberger said.
Virginia Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, the main plaintiff in the case, told Fox News Digital that the entire state should be applauding the court.
“The Supreme Court ruling today affirms what we all know: you cannot violate the Constitution to change the Constitution,” McDougle told Fox News Digital.
“The Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia after careful and thorough review of this matter affirmed that even the General Assembly must follow the law. This ruling is not a partisan one — it is a constitutional one. The rule of law is the foundation of our Commonwealth, and today it has been upheld.”
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“Every Virginian wins,” he said.
McDougle’s lower-chamber counterpart — House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore of Gate City — added that “you cannot violate the [state] Constitution to amend the Constitution.”
“Today’s ruling establishes once again that the Constitution of Virginia means what it says. The rule of law requires that Virginians have an opportunity to review a constitutional amendment before they vote for the House of Delegates in a meaningful way,” Kilgore told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Ben Cline of Botetourt, one of the Republican congressmen poised to be drawn out of his seat by the new map, called the court’s ruling “the correct decision.”
“It was always going to end up this way,” Cline said.
“Democrats broke laws that they helped write in the first place, blew through deadlines, wrote a biased and misleading ballot question, and lied to the voters in all of their advertising to support the referendum,” Cline said.
The lawmaker said voters previously banned “gerrymandering” in their decision in 2020 to create an independent commission to draw maps decennially.
“This is a great day for fair elections and the rule of law, and it’s a great day for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Other observers noted Kelsey is an appointee of Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, a former governor who backed the redistricting.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin added that “justice has been served” and that Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Lucas and others “knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians.”
“The Constitution prevailed, and Virginians will never forget this unlawful attempt to rob them of their voice in Congress.”
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts called the ruling a major victory for the rule of law and characterized the failed gerrymander attempt as “Governor Spanberger’s blatant power grab to silence the voices of half of Virginians in Congress.”
Sen. Timothy Kaine, D-Va., however, was not celebratory.
The onetime governor blasted the court, saying that unlike Republican-led states using “backroom deals” to redraw maps, Richmond took its plan directly to voters.
“[T]he Virginia Supreme Court has blocked the people’s choice. So we have to campaign and win on their maps. We can do it,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.
It remains to be seen whether or what avenues exist for Democrats to seek relief from the U.S. Supreme Court.
