Virginia state court blocks Democrats’ redistricting push

A Virginia state court blocked Democrats’ plans to redistrict this year, a blow to the party’s hopes of redrawing the state’s congressional lines ahead of the midterms.

Jack Hurley Jr., a judge on the Tazewell County circuit court, ruled that Democrats did not follow the right procedure to approve the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow for the last-minute redraw of the state’s lines.

Democrats are expected to appeal the decision. But the ruling is still a major loss for the party in the ongoing mid-decade redistricting fight, and one that could — if ultimately upheld — block the party from picking up as many as four seats in next year’s midterms.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.