The decision advantages Republicans amid a nationwide redistricting war.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an effort by Democratic lawmakers in Virginia to revive redrawn congressional maps that could have bolstered their party.
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The maps had been approved by voters, then struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court. The changes could have netted Democrats up to four additional seats in Congress.
The Supreme Court did not give a reason for denying the emergency appeal by lawmakers in a brief order.
The high court’s decision is the latest blow to Democrats amid a nationwide redistricting war in which the GOP has seized the upper hand in recent weeks.
Many legal experts saw the last-ditch bid by Virginia Democrats to the high court as a long shot, since federal courts generally defer to state court rulings on matters of state law.
Virginia’s Supreme Court ruled last week that the referendum was improperly submitted to voters. That court found it violated the state constitution’s rules for carrying out ballot measures, so was “null and void.”
The ideologically divided 4-3 ruling restored the current 2021 maps that feature six congressional seats held by Democrats and five by Republicans.
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Democrats in Virginia and other states are seeking to blunt efforts by Republicans to carve up voting maps to protect their fragile House majority in a challenging political environment for conservatives.
A number of GOP-led states have taken the unusual step of redistricting between the censuses that occur every 10 years. Some Democratic-led states, such as California, have responded in kind but generally have fewer opportunities to pick up seats.
Republicans have also benefited from a Supreme Court decision last month that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act.
The decision allowed GOP-controlled states to carve up majority-minority districts mostly held by Democrats in the South. Citing that ruling, the high court on Monday bolstered Alabama Republicans’ moves to squeeze out another seat.
In all, the efforts could help net Republicans roughly a dozen extra seats in November’s elections.
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