U.S. Supreme Court to hear VA’s redistricting case

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the Virginia’s House of Delegates redistricting case.  On Tuesday morning, an order granting the hearing, the court asked for additional briefing on whether House Republican leaders who have been defending the map actually had the standing to do so.

However, with arguments likely to occur in spring, and primaries set for June, it makes the prospects of a new map less likely before 2019 elections.

A lower court panel had ordered new maps to be drawn by Oct. 30 after finding that the current map was unconstitutionally drawn based on race.  After the General Assembly missed that deadline, the lower court drew a new map itself.

House Republicans are now considering how to halt that process until the Supreme Court’s decision in the matter.