RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Virginia political leaders have released statements regarding the Virginia Supreme Court’s move Friday to strike down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan.
The following are in alphabetical order.
Rep. Ben Cline (R-6):
This is the correct decision, and it was always going to end up this way. 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. The voters of Virginia banned gerrymandering six years ago, and that ban remains in effect today. This is a great day for fair elections and the rule of law, and it’s a great day for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-9):
The VASC decided a case of 1st impression. I believe they decided correctly and set aside the redistricting efforts by the state legislature. I commend the SC for its diligence and fortitude.I look forward to continuing to serve the 9th Congressional District of VA.
Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi (D):
“This April, millions of Virginians from every corner of the Commonwealth participated in our democratic process and cast their ballots in good faith. At a moment when voting rights are under sustained attack across the country, the Supreme Court’s decision sends a deeply troubling message. Across the nation, we are witnessing a systematic dismantling of electoral integrity, all for the sake of partisan advantage. The recent and disturbing actions of the Supreme Court of the United States, as it gutted the Voting Rights Act, the unconstitutional actions of Donald Trump and Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional maps without any engagement with statevoters, and the abuse of a Republican-majority Congress that continues to striprights from millions of Americans all define a frightening path towards thedismantling of democracy. The scale and coordination of these efforts are unprecedentedin modern American history.
“Now, in a 4-3 decision, theSupreme Court of Virginia has told voters in the Commonwealth that their voicescan simply be discarded. This decision does not exist in isolation. It comesamid years of assaults on fundamental civil rights, the battles for votingrights, escalating hyperpartisanship, and coordinated efforts to erode publictrust in democratic institutions. These actions disenfranchise voters andweaken the very principles of our country.
“In a time of growing nationalinstability and political chaos, the Commonwealth has a responsibility to standfirmly in defense of democracy. Virginians understood this responsibility andmade their voices heard loud and clear this past November as they electedDemocrats who will fight for them into all three statewide offices and secureda strong majority in the House of Delegates. Democrats stood up and fought, ashard as possible, for every Virginian and for all Americans. Virginia mustremain committed to an electoral system that puts people before politics andprotects the fundamental right of every citizen to participate fully and fairlyin the decisions that impact their lives. Our Commonwealth must remain abulwark and stand on the sacred principle that voters choose their leaders, notthe other way around.”
Attorney General Jay Jones (D):
“Today the Supreme Court of Virginia has chosen to put politics over the rule of law by issuing a ruling that overturns the April 21st special election on redistricting. This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it fuels the growing fears across our nation about the state of our democracy.
As Attorney General, it is my job to enforce the laws on the books and defend the will of the people. Before the Court, my office clearly laid out both in filings and oral arguments that this constitutional amendment process and voter ratification occurred in a timely, constitutionally-compliant, and legally sound manner.
The Republican-led majority of the Supreme Court of Virginia contorted the plain language of the Constitution and Code of Virginia to give it a meaning that was never intended, which allowed them to reach the wrong legal conclusion that fit their political agenda. The consequences of their error are grave.
The strength and stability of our democracy depends on adherence to the rule of law, the execution of free and fair elections where every eligible voter can cast their ballots to choose their leaders, and public trust in the institutions that provide accountability and protect our democratic processes. This Court’s ruling follows a dangerous trend of tilting power away from the people.
My team is carefully reviewing this unprecedented order and we are evaluating every legal pathway forward to defend the will of the people and protect the integrity of Virginia’s elections."
US Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA):
“Unlike Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals, the Virginia General Assembly let the people decide for themselves in a free and fair election. If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots. But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it.
“The timing of this ruling speaks volumes. The U.S. Supreme Court eviscerates the Voting Rights Act in a lawsuit brought by a January 6 extremist and Southern states race to craft backroom deals disenfranchising minority voters and candidates. Meanwhile Virginia voters choose to stand up against national disenfranchisement only to see their votes cast into the trash by a 4-3 ruling. A sad day indeed but I’m proud of Virginians’ willingness to stay true to our state’s motto after 250 years. That spirit is needed now more than ever.”
Virginia House GOP Leader Terry Kilgore:
“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. You cannot violate the Constitution to amend the Constitution.”
Rep. John McGuire (R-5):
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D):
“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.
“I am disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling, but my focus as Governor will be on ensuring that all voters have the information necessary to make their voices heard this November in the midterm elections because in those elections we — the voters — will have the final say.”
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Scott Surovell (D-34):
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia is, with respect, wrong on the law and unprecedented in its consequences. For the first time in the 250-year history of our Commonwealth, our Supreme Court has set aside the results of a statewide election in which more than three million Virginians cast ballots and a majority voted to ratify a constitutional amendment.
I respectfully but emphatically support the dissent of Chief Justice Powell, joined by Justice Mann and Justice Fulton. The dissent has it right on the law, on the text of our Constitution, and on the settled practice of the General Assembly.
It is important for Virginians to understand that the procedures followed by the General Assembly in this matter were not improvised. Every step of the process — the calling of the special session, the procedural resolutions governing it, the timing and form of the two legislative votes, and the submission of the proposed amendment to the voters — was fully vetted and supported by the nonpartisan attorneys at the Division of Legislative Services, the institutional legal counsel relied upon by both parties for generations. Their guidance reflected existing Virginia precedent, the longstanding understanding of Article XII, Section 1, and the General Assembly’s settled practice over more than half a century under the 1971 Constitution. The General Assembly did not invent a new process. We followed the one Virginia has used.
The Constitution of Virginia, in Article II, Section 4, expressly empowers the General Assembly to ‘regulate the time, place, manner, conduct, and administration’ of elections. The General Assembly has done exactly that in Code § 24.2-101, which defines a general election as one held ‘on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.’ That definition was adopted in 1970, contemporaneously with the 1971 Constitution, and is entitled to great weight under this Court’s own precedent in Dean v. Paolicelli. As the dissent observes, every federal circuit to consider the question has held that early voting is not part of ‘the election’ under the combined-action test in Foster v. Love. The majority’s contrary holding stands alone.
The consequences of the majority’s reasoning are sweeping. Under today’s decision, an ‘election’ in Virginia now spans 45 days or more. That has implications for candidate qualifications under Article IV, Section 4; for the conduct of our trial courts under Article II, Section 9; and, most seriously, for our compliance with the federal Elections Clause and the federal statutes mandating a single national Election Day. The dissent identifies each of these problems. The majority does not resolve them.
Most troubling of all is the precedent the Court has now set. The Court explicitly invoked Scott v. James to defer judicial review until after the people had voted — and then, having allowed the election to proceed, used the post-election posture to nullify the result. Over three million Virginians participated in this referendum. Their votes have been set aside not because of fraud, not because of intimidation, not because of any defect in the casting or counting of ballots, but because four Justices have adopted a definition of ‘election’ that conflicts with state statute, federal precedent, and the considered legal advice of the nonpartisan staff who guided the General Assembly through this process.
I am proud of the actions my caucus and the House of Delegates took to step up and reassert historic Virginia’s role protecting American Democracy and we will continue to fight. I have spent my career in the General Assembly defending the deliberative processes of this body and the constitutional prerogatives of the legislative branch. Today’s decision affects both. I expect the Commonwealth will pursue every available avenue of further review, and I will support those efforts.”
Virginia House Democratic Caucus:
“From day one, this was about more than a single election. It was about fighting against a political power grab. It was about making sure the voices of the people matter. And at the ballot box, a historic number of Virginians made their voice loud and clear.
“Thank you to all of the Virginians who showed up to the polls, raised their voices, and voted YES. They sent a message that was heard not only in the Commonwealth but across the nation, in the halls of Congress, and in the Oval Office. The reality that Virginians want to level the playing field and to have their voices heard during every election is not undone by a court ruling.
“We will continue to fight for a Commonwealth and country where the people – not politicians – make the decisions that shape their lives. Virginia House Democrats work every day to reflect the voices of our constituents, and that work will continue.”
Del. Wendell Walker (R-52):
“Today, the Supreme Court of Virginia defended the Constitution and the rule of law by striking down a partisan redistricting amendment process that blatantly violated Virginia’s constitutional requirements,” said Delegate Walker.
“The Court made clear that lawmakers broke the Constitution by advancing the amendment after voting in the general election had already begun — denying Virginians the full constitutional process and meaningful opportunity to weigh in through their elected representatives,” continued Delegate Walker. “The Constitution cannot be rewritten through shortcuts, political maneuvering, or disregard for the rules that protect every voter’s voice.”
“This ruling is a victory for constitutional integrity, fair elections, and the principle that not even the General Assembly is above the law.”
US Senator Mark Warner (D):
“While I respect the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision, it’s impossible to ignore that more than three million Virginians already cast their ballots on the amendment and deserved to have their voices heard.
“Let’s be clear: this started because Republicans across the country decided to push mid-decade redistricting in states where they thought they could rig the map for partisan gain. Virginia’s effort was a response to that national power grab, not the cause of it.
“Donald Trump assumed he could tilt the playing field and lock in political advantage before a single ballot was cast. But Virginians are paying attention. They want leaders who will protect their rights, defend their freedoms, and actually focus on lowering costs and getting things done. Democrats will still show up this November, we will still compete everywhere, and when the votes are counted, Virginians will send a strong message about the kind of leadership they want.”