It's Over: Supreme Court Says 'Well, Bye' to Virginia Democrats, Leaves SCOVA Ruling in Place

The month of May just got worse, not just for Virginia Democrats but also for Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), with news late Friday afternoon of the Supreme Court rejecting their emergency request to restore a congressional map that could have netted them an additional four House seats in the 2026 midterms.

It was a "well, bye" moment that the party is unlikely to forget:

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Friday to allow Virginia to use a new congressional map that favored Democrats in all but one of the state's U.S. House seats.
[...]
The new map was drawn by Democrats and approved by Virginia voters in an April referendum. But on May 8, the Supreme Court of Virginia [SCOVA] in a 4-to-3 vote declared the referendum, and by extension the new map, null and void because lawmakers failed to follow the proper procedures to get the issue on the ballot, violating the state constitution.
[...]
In their emergency application, they argued the Virginia Supreme Court was "deeply mistaken" in its decision on "critical issues of federal law with profound practical importance to the Nation." Further, they asserted the decision "overrode the will of the people" by ordering Virginia to "conduct its election with the congressional districts that the people rejected."

Only minutes after the final brief was filed, the Court denied an application to stay the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling that invalidated a referendum to authorize mid-decade redistricting.

No justice noted a dissent.
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) May 15, 2026

Well... Bye. pic.twitter.com/duSmQ5TJ82
— Rolf Hartmann (@RolfHartma49676) May 11, 2026

I can’t believe the demand that the U.S. Supreme Court overrule the VA Supreme Court regarding a case about the Virginia Constitution didn’t work out… https://t.co/LxMqrFoZud
— AG (@AGHamilton29) May 15, 2026

Some on X quipped that maybe Virginia addressing the wrong court in their petition might have played a role:

To be fair, the Jay Jones and the Commonwealth of Virginia did address the petition to the wrong court… https://t.co/gfnCxHSQAd pic.twitter.com/3b37qFzxDR
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 15, 2026

The Virginia Supreme Court Just Changed the Midterm Math

The Supreme Court's ruling came a day after Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced that, due to deadline constraints, including the fact that the start of early voting for the August primary was a month away, the maps that would be used in the Commonwealth for the fall elections would be the current map:

The governor said the SCOTUS efforts are “important, but when it comes to the execution of elections, no matter the outcome in that case, we will be running our elections beginning next month with early voting on the current maps that we have.”
Spanberger’s comment lines up with what Virginia’s Department of Elections Commissioner Steven Koski stated in a legal filing last month that the department would need to begin making changes by May 12 to be ready in time for the August primary elections.

Spanberger, however, did express optimism that Democrats could flip a few seats under the existing map.

Update: Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) with the mic drop:

WRONG - Now it’s finished.

SCOTUS unanimously just slammed the door on your desperate appeal. Virginia Supreme Court killed your gerrymander, and the highest court in the land said “nope.”
Checkmate. https://t.co/9KhS3n3G8U
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) May 15, 2026

'Nuff said.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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