The Virginia Supreme Court struck down a Democratic-drawn congressional map that would have eliminated four Republican-held seats, ruling 4-3 that the referendum was passed in violation of Article XII, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution — specifically the requirement that constitutional amendments survive an intervening election before going to voters. Democrats pushed the referendum through on October 31, 2025, days before Election Day and weeks into early voting.
The constitutional failure wasn't cheap. The state spent more than $5 million on the special election; activist organizations poured upward of $60 million into the campaign to pass it, per Axios reporting.
The Virginia Supreme Court's ruling: "This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void." What the Founders built wasn't a ladder for whichever party holds power to kick away when convenient. The court, this time, remembered that.