Democrats Ask Supreme Court to Halt Virginia Ruling

[applegrove]

Democrats Ask Supreme Court to Halt Virginia Ruling

May 11, 2026 at 4:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2026/05/11/democrats-ask-supreme-court-to-halt-virginia-ruling/

Associated Press: “Democrats on Monday filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four winnable U.S. House seats.”

“The move came after the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The 4-3 state court decision found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in the Virginia’s general election last fall.”

[Lovie777]

1. US SC?......

which justice oversees Virginia.

Still have six RW justices that probably agrees with the 4 RW justices in Virginia’s SC.

Those 6 are fully aware of what the red states are doing to black voters and agrees with it.🤬

[Bettie]

5. Right? If there is any expectation on their part

of that court being fair or reasonable, rather than blindly partisan, they've really not been paying attention to current events.

The court is likely to tell them that the rulings about redistricting are only applicable to increasing Republican representation/silencing the voices of non-white people. It isn't as if they are hiding those things.

[SSJVegeta]

2. What could this accomplish I wonder?

[pcdb]

9. More billable hours for all lawyers involved

[FBaggins]

11. It allows them to claim that they're fighting hard

Anything less gets you primaried.

[Raven123]

3. I can't imagine what would be achieved by this

Haven’t seen anything that explains the basis for the appeal.

[tman]

4. I can hear them laughing right now.

[scipan]

6. here are their arguments

A stay is warranted because the decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia is deeply mistaken on two critical issues of federal law with profound practical importance to the Nation. The decision below violates federal law in two separate ways. First, it predicated its interpretation of the Virginia Constitution on a grave misreading of federal law, which expressly fixes a single day for the “election” of Representatives and Delegates to Congress…Second, by rejecting the plain text of the Virginia Constitution’s definition of the term “election” to adopt its own contrary meaning, the Supreme Court of Virginia ‘transgressed the ordinary bounds of judicial review such that it arrogated to itself the power vested in the state legislature to regulate federal elections.'”
Snip...
ordinary bounds of judicial review.”
“The window for orderly administration of Virginia’s congressional elections is closing rapidly. This Court should act now to preserve the status quo while it considers the grave federal questions the decision below raises.”

https://bluevirginia.us/2026/05/va-democrats-emergency-application-to-the-u-s-supreme-court-argues-va-supreme-courts-decision-was-deeply-mistaken-violates-federal-law-in-two-separate-ways/

Sounds to me like they have a good argument. Maybe it will work.

[EdmondDantes_]

8. That argument would lend itself to no early or absentee voting

If elections only happen on one day for this interpretation, then logically voting can only occur on that day.

[scipan]

10. no, that's addressed in the brief. people cast their votes prior to the election.

In their words the election is "consummated" on election day. I guess meaning counted, etc.

[EdmondDantes_]

12. That is the argument they are making, but that mean the argument has a leg to stand on

When you cast a ballot, you're voting. If I vote early, I don't say I didn't vote until election day. It's a silly semantics game because they didn't do things correctly if they wanted a gerrymander.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. I'm sure they'll get right on that...