Virginia Judge Smacks Down Democrat Power Grab

Finally.

A common-sense court decision that derails the Democrats’ redistricting chicanery in Virginia.

For the time being, at least.

The radical left in Virginia is so determined to deprive conservatives of proportional representation in Congress that they intend to appeal the circuit court ruling that came down Tuesday. 

The issues are really quite simple: In 2000 Virginians voted overwhelmingly to abandon gerrymandering and go to a non-partisan method of drawing congressional districts. 

Districts are redrawn after each census, so another is not due until 2030.

Presently Virginia is represented in Washington by six Democrat members and five Republican. About right when you consider that in the last presidential race, the Democrat won with just 51.8% of the vote.

Drunk with power now that they control all branches of state government, hard-core leftists such as State Sen. Louise Lucas want to amend the constitution AGAIN to return to gerrymandering and create 10 Democrat districts and just one Republican.

It’s a naked undemocratic power grab and the shameless way Dems went about it is repulsive and violates the spirit, if not the letter, of Virginia’s Constitution.

Thank God a judge has blocked it. Hopefully, higher courts will follow the law and not be swayed by political pressure.

Any amendment to Virginia's constitution must be passed by the General Assembly in two sessions separated by an election for the House of Delegates, which happens every two years. 

Following that, the voters must approve it in a referendum.

This is a laborious process designed to make hasty partisan meddling impossible.

Conniving Dems, however, came up with this heinous redistricting scheme in the fall. They want a quick return to gerrymandering to help Democrats take the House in the 2028 mid-terms. 

They used a special budget session in October to pass the bill and they quickly passed It a second time this month. They intend  to hold a referendum on April 21.

Instead of the amendment process taking years, these cheaters have compressed it into six months.

That was halted  on Tuesday when Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr.  wisely ruled that the power grab was illegal.

The Virginia Mercury summarized the judge’s decision this way: 

Hurley said using the still-open special session was not allowed because early voting in last year’s elections had already begun, and state law requires the Legislature to pass proposed constitutional amendments both before and after an election. Hurley also ruled that the proposed constitutional amendment was not properly noticed in state courts.

The judge also noted that lawmakers in the special session passed a procedural resolution along party lines, with the Democrat-controlled legislature delivering the decisive votes for the resolution’s passage. Because lawmakers did not vote unanimously, as is required under the Legislature’s own rules, and did not pass it by a two-thirds Senate majority, it was a violation of the rules governing a special session.

“Certainly, both houses of the Commonwealth’s legislature are required to follow their own rules and resolutions,” Hurley wrote.

In other words, Virginia’s preposterous 90-day early voting period - which Dems normally love - meant that the Democrats were not only using a budget session improperly to pass a redistricting amendment, but that the election was already underway when they voted. 

In fact, about one million Virginians had already cast their votes, so there was no intervening election.

Oh, and Virginia law requires a public notice be posted 90 days before a vote and the Dems  ignored that.

All in all, a smart, detailed, common-sense ruling presents a serious roadblock to the reckless redistricting engineered by Virginia’s newly empowered radical left.

Some legal experts, my radio co-host Mike Imprevento, for instance, believes there is not enough time for Democrats to file appeals and have hearings and favorable decisions before the April election.

Despite the long odds, the Democrats declared yesterday that they were prepared to appeal the decision.

Of course they will.

Common sense and fairness are in short supply in Virginia’s win-at-all-costs Democrat Party.