WASHINGTON — Virginia Democrats on Monday filed a last-ditch request to the Supreme Court seeking to revive a recent voter-approved congressional district map for the state.
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The move came after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled last week that the process that led to a referendum in which voters approved the plan was legally flawed.
The new map, intended to maximize Democratic-leaning congressional districts, was proposed as part of nationwide redistricting wars that were sparked when President Donald Trump called upon Texas to draw a map more favorable to Republicans.
In the new filing on behalf of Democratic state lawmakers, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said that the state court “overrode the will of the people” by focusing on a technical interpretation of what process was required under state law.
The U.S. Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction over issues of state law, but in the new filing Jones said the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision also violated federal law.