« on: May 10, 2026, 05:10:21 pm »
https://redstate.com/joesquire/2026/05/10/democrats-plot-coup-against-virginia-supreme-court-in-redistricting-fight-n2202202https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/10/us/politics/democrats-virginia-plans-gerrymandering.htmlThe Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to throw out a voter-approved redistricting amendment has House Democrats scrambling, and at least one option on the table would require blowing up the state’s entire Supreme Court to get there.
According to the New York Times, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York joined Virginia Democratic members of Congress on a call Saturday where lawmakers vented over Friday’s ruling and weighed their options. They did not land on a specific path forward, agreeing to consult with attorneys before making any moves. But one idea circulating on the call got people talking: using the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly to lower the mandatory retirement age for state Supreme Court justices, forcing out the current bench and replacing it with judges more favorable to Democratic redistricting goals.
(snip)
The plan, as described by people who were on the call or briefed on it afterward, runs through several steps.
The first would invoke the Tazewell County circuit court ruling from January, which held that the 2026 constitutional amendment effort was invalid because county officials did not post the required notice at courthouses and other public locations three months before a general election. From there, Democrats would argue that the 2020 amendment creating Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting commission was similarly flawed, handing the legislature the power to draw congressional maps directly.
The second, more dramatic piece would have Democrats in the General Assembly lower the mandatory retirement age for Virginia Supreme Court justices from 73 to 54, the age of the youngest current justice. Because Virginia’s General Assembly appoints judges, and Democrats hold majorities in both chambers, the party could then fill the resulting vacancies with sympathetic appointees. A column in The Downballot, a progressive newsletter, floated a version of the idea Friday night, and it began circulating among lawmakers and congressional members shortly after.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger would need to sign any legislation lowering the retirement age. Her spokeswoman declined to comment to the Times, and Spanberger has not been briefed on the proposal.
Former Rep. James Moran, a Virginia Democrat, told the Times the court-stacking idea would be “just a bridge too far” and could backfire on the party. “We do have to keep our credibility,” Moran said. “We have to do things that pass the legitimacy test.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Loudoun County, who was on the Saturday call, took a harder line. “Everyone has got to have a strong stomach right now; this is a complete disaster waiting to happen if people are timid,” Subramanyam told the Times.
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They've already alienated half the Commonwealth, and I can't imagine anything else here that would tip the balance toward outright armed resistance than destroying the VA Supreme Court just to achieve their gerrymandered re-districting scheme. They truly are playing with fire here...
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