Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said Thursday that his office will immediately appeal a Tazewell County Circuit Court injunction blocking the state from implementing newly approved congressional maps.
The injunction was issued in Republican National Committee v. Koski, one day after Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to temporarily redraw congressional districts for the 2026 elections.
“My office will immediately file an appeal in the Court of Appeals,” Jones said in a statement released by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. “As I said last night, Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote. We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court.”
Unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections showed the amendment with 51.46% support and 48.54% opposition as of 5:15 p.m. on April 23, 2026, with about 2.5 million ballots cast.
The amendment would allow lawmakers to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts temporarily for the 2026 elections before redistricting authority returns to the state commission in 2031. The temporary redraw could reshape several U.S. House races in 2026.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger said after the vote that Virginians had backed a temporary measure at the ballot box. In a statement released by her office, Spanberger said voters had “spoken” and rejected what she described as efforts in other states made without voter input.
On Wednesday, Judge Jack Hurley Jr. of Tazewell County Circuit Court blocked the state from taking action to implement the new districts. The order followed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee (NRC) , which argued that the timing and wording of the measure were illegal.
The RNC praised the ruling and called it a “major victory” for Virginians. In a statement, RNC Chair Joe Gruters accused Democrats of trying to push what he called “an unconstitutional scheme to tilt congressional maps in their favor.”
Democrats criticized the ruling and the lawsuit.
Aaron Fritschner, an aide to Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, wrote that Republicans had repeatedly brought challenges to the referendum before a local judge in a conservative part of the state. He said the Virginia Supreme Court would have “the last say” on the referendum
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