Virginia Redistricting Process

The Supreme Court of Virginia is responsible for drawing new legislative and congressional districts after the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission failed to approve a map by the deadline. The court hired two outside special masters — one selected by Republicans and one selected by Democrats — to prepare maps for the judges to consider. Each party submitted three potential names for the court to pick. Democrats nominated three political science professors with experience assisting courts in redistricting cases and, by order of the court, must submit further names for consideration. All three Republican choices, partisan political operatives with histories of advancing Republican interests, were rejected by the court, which wrote that it “intends to appoint Special Masters who are qualified and do not have a conflict of interest.” The court appointed Sean Trende and Bernard Grofman as special masters. The court released final districts on Dec. 28, which can be viewed below.

Last updated: December 28, 2021 4:46 pm EST