Richmond, Virginia - A judge blocked the certification of referendum results in Virginia backing a new electoral map that could favor Democrats, as a row deepens over President Donald Trump's redistricting push.
The battle over gerrymandering has become one of the defining fights of the campaign for the Midterms.
Virginia voted in a referendum Tuesday to allow the redrawing of the congressional map, which could hand Democrats four more seats in the House of Representatives in November's elections.
But Judge Jack Hurley of Tazewell County Circuit Court barred state officials from certifying the referendum result and using the new maps, calling the ballot measure "flagrantly misleading" in a ruling on Wednesday.
Trump has baselessly alleged that the Virginia vote was "rigged," echoing his lies over the 2020 election.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said his office "will immediately file an appeal in the Court of Appeals."
"Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People's vote," the Democrat wrote in a statement on X. "We look forward to defending the outcome of last night's election in court."
Redistricting usually follows the US national census every 10 years, but Trump urged Republican-led states last year to redraw maps mid-decade to protect the party's fragile House of Representatives majority. Democrats argued that the Virginia map was a necessary counterweight to Trump's pressure campaign.