Court: Va. House district unconstitutional

A federal court ruled Tuesday that Virginia’s African-American majority district was drawn unconstitutionally, and ordered the state’s congressional map to be redrawn after the 2014 elections.

{mosads}The court in Richmond said Republican state lawmakers wrongly packed too many African-Americans into the 3rd Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), when they redrew the state’s district maps.

The state legislature will have to redraw the district after the 2014 election and by April 15, 2015, in time for the 2016 elections, as a result of the decision.

The move could give Democrats new opportunities in southern Virginia. Democrats currently hold just three of the state’s 11 congressional districts in the swing state, after a GOP-led redistricting process made a number of seats more favorable to their party.

The GOP-controlled state legislature will have to compromise with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on a new map, and at least some of the surrounding Republican-leaning districts will add African-American voters.

—This post was updated at 4:35 p.m.