The Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats' congressional map, and Reid Epstein reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in discussions with Virginia Democrats over the weekend about possible next steps. One idea under consideration was asking the state legislature to lower the retirement age of Virginia Supreme Court justices, which could force the current court to resign and open the door to a new ruling on the map.

On May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued its opinion in Scott v. McDougle, invalidating a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts before 2031 in limited circumstances. The Court held that the legislature "did not follow the proper process" required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, and therefore struck down the amendment and the new congressional map tied to it. As a result, Virginia’s existing congressional map, drawn by the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission, remains in effect for upcoming elections.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is having conversations with state Democrats about next steps after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats' gerrymandered map. According to The New York Times, one idea being considered is lowering the retirement age of Virginia Supreme Court justices so the Democratic-led legislature could re-appoint new justices who would rule in favor of the 10-1 map.

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the legislature did not follow the proper process in its attempt to amend the state constitution to allow it to redraw the state’s congressional districts. The amendment, which voters approved in April 2026, would have permitted the General Assembly to enact a new congressional map through 2030, replacing the map adopted by the Virginia Redistricting Commission. By overturning the amendment, the court left in place the commission-drawn map that currently produces a 6–5 split between Democrats and Republicans, rather than the proposed map that analysts said could have yielded 10 Democratic seats and 1 Republican seat.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday after Democrats' redistricting loss in Virginia, 'We remain undeterred.' In a letter to fellow Democrats, he said the caucus would launch a multi-pronged 'counteroffensive' including new redistricting efforts in blue states, lawsuits against GOP-drawn maps in red states, and a messaging push to help flip the House in November's midterms.

Last week, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats' congressional map that would have given them a 10-1 advantage over Republicans in the commonwealth's U.S. House delegation. Jeffries explained that Democrats will launch a multi-pronged 'counteroffensive' that includes new redistricting efforts in blue states, new lawsuits against GOP-drawn congressional maps in red states, and a messaging push designed to fault President Trump for rising costs and help flip the House in November’s midterms.

“Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: ‘Over three million Virginia citizens cast their votes in a free and fair election, yet the State Supreme Court has chosen to invalidate their voice, disenfranchise them and violate their due process rights. The decision to overturn an entire election is an unprecedented and undemocratic action that cannot stand… We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision. No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November… Our fight is not over. We are just getting started.’” This statement confirms Jeffries’ active involvement in responding to the Supreme Court of Virginia’s redistricting decision and references exploring "all options" but does not itself detail any specific private call strategy to flip particular seats under the existing map.

The Supreme Court on Friday evening turned down a request by Virginia's attorney general and other Virginia Democrats to allow the state to use a new congressional map that would have favored Democrats in 10 of the state's 11 districts. The emergency application asked the justices to reinstate the map after the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated a constitutional amendment authorizing it, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving the existing commission-drawn map in place for the 2026 elections. Democratic leaders had argued that blocking the new map would unfairly disadvantage their party compared with Republican-led states that had been allowed to adopt favorable maps.

“During a private meeting on Saturday, which included Democratic representatives from Virginia and New York's Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, attendees expressed frustration over their recent loss at the Virginia Supreme Court. They demonstrated a collective resolve to win **two or three Republican-controlled seats based on the current map** and discussed a creative approach to redraw congressional boundaries.” The story describes this as a private call/meeting held on Saturday, involving Virginia House Democrats and Hakeem Jeffries, after losing a redistricting case at the Supreme Court of Virginia, and explicitly notes the goal of trying to win two or three GOP-held seats under the existing map.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected without comment Friday a petition by Virginia Democrats to revive the voter-approved redistricting amendment and the congressional map that came with it. The Virginia Supreme Court had ruled May 8 that the amendment was invalid because lawmakers failed to follow required procedures in putting it on the ballot, which meant the new map could not be used. Democrats had hoped the map, which was drawn to favor their candidates in 10 of 11 districts, would replace the current bipartisan-commission map that leaves Republicans with several competitive or safely held seats.

The 2026 Virginia redistricting referendum appeared on the April 21, 2026, ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The amendment passed by a slim margin, but it was subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court of Virginia on May 8, 2026, in a 4–3 decision that found the General Assembly had violated procedural requirements when placing the measure on the ballot. Because the amendment was invalidated, the new congressional map—widely described as a Democratic gerrymander favoring Democrats in 10 of 11 districts—never took effect; instead, the state continues to use the existing map drawn by the Virginia Redistricting Commission, under which Democrats currently hold 6 seats and Republicans 5.

“On May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Virginia affirmed, with four justices in the majority and three justices dissenting, a decision that overrode the will of the people who ratified the amendment by ordering the Commonwealth to conduct its election with the congressional districts that the people rejected. By forcing the Commonwealth to conduct its congressional elections using districts different from those adopted by the General Assembly pursuant to a constitutional amendment the people just ratified, the Supreme Court of Virginia has deprived voters, candidates, and the Commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts.” This filing describes the Virginia Supreme Court redistricting decision that Democratic leaders later discussed responding to on a private call.

Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved a state constitutional amendment to enact new congressional maps that favor Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterms. Assuming that the remaining legal disputes before Virginia courts resolves quickly — which is likely since the Virginia Supreme Court twice declined to intervene before the election — the newly gerrymandered map will likely shift the state’s congressional delegation from 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans to 10 Democrats and 1 Republican. Under the existing commission-drawn map in effect since 2021, Republicans currently hold five seats, including two districts in the Richmond and Virginia Beach regions that Democrats believe are competitive and could potentially be flipped even without the new map.

Virginia Republicans blasted national and state Democrats over their 'insane' ideas on how to reverse the Supreme Court of Virginia’s 4-3 ruling against their redistricting gambit, targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other national Democrats’ latest intercession. The report said Democrats were considering ways to revive the blocked 10-1 map, including lowering the retirement age of state justices or using the Tazewell County ruling to attack the 2020 referendum that created the redistricting commission.

CNN's Manu Raju pressed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about the Democrats' redistricting loss in Virginia. The segment said the Virginia Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling nullified a new congressional map that would have given Democrats the chance to win up to four additional House seats.

“Then on Sunday, The New York Times reported that, in a conversation with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, some Virginia Democrats had floated ‘an audacious and possibly far-fetched idea’ to replace the Virginia Supreme Court justices and relitigate the case to get their preferred result.” The article cites the NYT report of a private conversation between Jeffries and Virginia Democrats following the redistricting loss. It further notes that the underlying fight over Virginia’s congressional map was largely about one or two seats and discusses Democrats’ interest in knocking out several Republican incumbents, though it does not directly repeat the "two or three Republican-held seats" language from the NYT.

“The U.S. Supreme Court's decision late Friday to reject Virginia Democrats' emergency appeal over congressional redistricting effectively ended their last-ditch effort to revive a map that would have favored them in this year's elections.” The piece recounts the Virginia Supreme Court’s earlier decision invalidating a voter-approved congressional map and clarifies that Democrats’ attempts to overturn it, including emergency appeals, were rejected, leaving them to compete under the existing, more Republican-favorable map. It provides context that Democrats, including national leaders, were strategizing in the aftermath but does not describe the specific private Saturday call.

On May 8, the Supreme Court of Virginia nullified the results of the April 21 redistricting referendum in a 4-3 ruling focused on the legislature’s procedural missteps. The decision prevented the implementation of a new congressional map that would have heavily favored Democrats and instead preserved the current map drawn by the Virginia Redistricting Commission. Democratic officials and strategists have since acknowledged that, under the existing map, their path to gaining additional U.S. House seats in Virginia relies on contesting two or three Republican-held districts that were already considered competitive in recent election cycles.

“The NYT published a story about a discussion among national Democrats to urge state legislators to take drastic measures to reinstate gerrymandered maps that were struck down by the commonwealth’s highest court. From the story: ‘During a private discussion on Saturday that included Democratic House members from Virginia and Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, the lawmakers vented anger at their defeat at the Virginia Supreme Court, spoke about a collective determination to flip two or three Republican-held seats under the existing map and discussed a bank-shot proposal to redraw the congressional lines anyway, according to three people who participated in the call and two others who were briefed on it.’ ‘They did not land on a specific course forward, and Mr. Jeffries and the other members of Congress agreed to consult with their lawyers about the most prudent way to proceed, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private talk.’

After the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the redrawn map, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was reported to be in discussions with Virginia Democrats over the weekend about potential next steps. The discussion included possible legislation affecting the state supreme court and how to respond politically after losing the redistricting case.

In a closely watched decision, the Virginia Supreme Court tossed a voter-approved redistricting plan that would have given Democrats a strong advantage in the state’s congressional delegation. The ruling leaves in place the bipartisan commission’s map that produced a 6–5 split between Democrats and Republicans in recent elections. Virginia Democratic strategists say privately that with the gerrymandered map off the table, their focus turns to trying to flip two or three Republican-held seats under the existing lines, particularly in the suburbs of Richmond, Hampton Roads, and northern Virginia.

CNN’s Manu Raju pressed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about the Democrats’ redistricting loss in Virginia after the state Supreme Court nullified a new congressional map. In the clip, Jeffries is asked: “Can you confirm that you were part of a call recently with Virginia Democrats and can you explain the nature of that call and whether or not you specifically discussed a proposal that would involve replacing the state Supreme Court as a means to try to redraw the map in Virginia?” Jeffries responds: “The conversation that I had with members of the Virginia Congressional delegation will remain a private conversation with members of the Virginia congressional delegation, but the consensus on the call was we’re going to win 2 or 3 seats, regardless of whether the current Virginia Supreme Court decision holds, which was a disgusting decision… We’re operating under the assumption that the map is what the map is right now in advance of 2026… and we’re winning Virginia 1 and we’re winning Virginia 2 and we have a shot to flip those other two seats under this current map, and that’s what we’re resolved to do.”

CNN’s Manu Raju pressed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about the Democrats’ redistricting loss in Virginia. In a 4-3 ruling, state Supreme Court justices nullified a new congressional map that would have given Democrats the chance to win up to four additional seats in the House of Representatives. Raju questioned Jeffries about reports that Democrats had discussed extraordinary measures regarding the Virginia Supreme Court on a private call with Virginia Democrats, seeking confirmation and details of that conversation. Jeffries did not disclose specifics of the call, saying the conversation with the Virginia congressional delegation would remain private, but he emphasized Democrats’ determination to win two or three seats under the existing map.

On May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued its opinion in Scott v. McDougle, invalidating a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts before 2031. The Court concluded that the General Assembly did not comply with the constitutional requirements for amending the state constitution, so the voter-approved referendum and the gerrymandered congressional map linked to it were struck down. This left intact the congressional map drawn by the Virginia Redistricting Commission, preserving the current partisan balance and forcing Democrats to look for gains within existing Republican-held districts rather than through a new map.

In a CNN segment reposted as a Facebook video, the narrator states: “The unprecedented decision by the Virginia Supreme Court reinforces the need to go all in in advance of the 2028 election,” quoting Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who calls on blue states to redraw congressional maps in favor of Democrats next cycle. The description emphasizes that the controversy stems from “a Virginia Supreme Court decision about Virginia state law.” This shows Jeffries publicly tying the Virginia decision to broader Democratic redistricting and electoral strategies but does not provide details of the private Saturday call with Virginia House Democrats.

The Virginia Supreme Court issued a 4-3 decision that nullified a newly drafted congressional map intended to boost Democrats’ chances in upcoming elections, effectively removing four House seats that were anticipated to shift toward Democrats. Democrats, reeling from the ruling, are urgently working to regroup. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) accused the court of disregarding voters’ intentions and promised to consider “all options” to contest the decision. The article describes the decision as a major setback for Democrats’ redistricting efforts in Virginia and notes that party leaders are exploring strategies in response, including potential appeals and political tactics under the existing map.

“On March 4, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that the measure could be placed on the April ballot… On April 21, 2026, voters were asked to decide on the ‘Virginia Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment.’ … The constitutional amendment provided that the Virginia Redistricting Commission would redraw congressional districts in 2031.” This Ballotpedia entry provides primary-source style documentation of the Virginia redistricting amendment and the timeline of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s involvement, giving context for the ‘redistricting case at the Supreme Court of Virginia’ referenced in accounts of Democrats’ subsequent strategy discussions, although it does not mention any private call or specific seat-flipping plans.

In an MSNBC interview clip, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries criticizes the Virginia Supreme Court ruling: “Over 3 million Virginia citizens cast their votes in a free and fair election yet the state Supreme Court has chosen to invalidate their voice… We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision… Our fight is not over.” Later in the same segment he notes, in a broader electoral context, “We are only three seats short… Remember… when we took the House back in 2018, we were 24 seats short… we flipped a total of 40 seats.” This shows Jeffries publicly connecting the Virginia redistricting fight to national efforts to flip Republican-held seats, though the clip does not spell out the private Saturday call or explicitly say “two or three Republican-held seats” in Virginia.

A Facebook video post by local reporter Nick Minock is described as: “NEW: Following the Virginia Supreme Court's striking down of the Democrats' gerryma[ndering] map… Democrats consider changes to Virginia Supreme Court after gerrymandering loss, redistricting…” The description indicates that Virginia Democrats were actively discussing how to respond to the Supreme Court of Virginia’s decision invalidating their preferred congressional map, including potential changes to the court itself, echoing themes reported elsewhere about ‘audacious’ ideas floated in conversations with Hakeem Jeffries, but the post itself does not document the specific Saturday call or the ‘two or three seats’ language.