In a major court victory for Virginia Republicans and fair-maps advocates, the Tazewell Circuit Court has ruled the Democrats’ redistricting referendum unconstitutional.
The judge has entered an injunction blocking certification of the narrow “Yes” victory and denied Democrats’ request for a stay pending appeal.
The development was announced on Wednesday afternoon by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, who is leading the Election Transparency Initiative.
UPDATE on referendum lawsuits: The Tazewell Circuit Court just ruled the referendum unconstitutional. The Judge entered an injunction blocking certification of the election & denied a motion to stay pending appeal. A final order will be entered once drafted, & it will be…
— Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) April 22, 2026
“UPDATE on referendum lawsuits: The Tazewell Circuit Court just ruled the referendum unconstitutional. The Judge entered an injunction blocking certification of the election & denied a motion to stay pending appeal. A final order will be entered once drafted, & it will be immediately appealed,” Cuccinelli wrote in a post on X.
This ruling means the ridiculous constitutional amendment, which would have allowed the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to immediately toss Virginia’s current balanced six-five congressional map and replace it with a heavily gerrymandered 10 Democrat to one Republican map, cannot be certified or take effect unless the Virginia Supreme Court overturns the decision on appeal.
BIG WIN: Tazewell Circuit Court just enjoined the certification of the special election!!
UPDATE: From the Tazewell Circuit Court, the Judge reaffirmed all prior rulings, declared the referendum as unconstitutional and the amendment process of HB 1384 as unconstitutional. He…
— Wren Williams (@WrenWilliamsVA) April 22, 2026
The ballot measure asked voters, “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”
Republicans, including former Governor Glenn Youngkin, called the language deliberately deceptive.
Virginia currently operates under one of the fairest congressional maps in the nation, drawn by an independent bipartisan commission that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2020.
The Democrat-backed plan would have packed Republican voters into a single ultra-safe district while engineering 10 safe Democratic seats, helping Democrats gain 4 House seats heading into the midterms.
The referendum passed narrowly on Tuesday, with roughly 51.45% voting “Yes” and 48.55% voting “No,” driven by Democrats in Northern Virginia.
Republicans filed multiple lawsuits challenging the referendum.
The “yes” vote has won Va’s redistricting referendum — but the legal fight is just beginning. Four Va Constitutional challenges are now teed up:
THREE challenges to the amendment process itself:
1️⃣ First passage was invalid. The amendment was taken up during a special session…
— Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) April 22, 2026
Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley had previously issued injunctions blocking the referendum before the vote, but the Virginia Supreme Court stayed those orders, allowing voters to decide while reserving final judgment.
Now, the case will be appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court, which has already signaled it will review the constitutional questions quickly.
The Gateway Pundit will continue to monitor the Virginia Supreme Court for the next ruling and any updates on the final order from the Tazewell Circuit Court.
The post BREAKING: Virginia Court Strikes Down Democrat Gerrymander Referendum as UNCONSTITUTIONAL, Judge Blocks Vote Certification and Issues Injunction appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.