The Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from the Democrat Attorney General to pause a lower court order blocking the gerrymander referendum.
Last week, the Tazewell Circuit Court ruled the Democrats’ redistricting referendum unconstitutional.
The judge entered an injunction blocking certification of the narrow “Yes” victory and denied Democrats’ request for a stay pending appeal.
The development was announced on last Wednesday afternoon by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, who is leading the Election Transparency Initiative.
UPDATE on referendum lawsuits: The Tazewell Circuit Court just ruled the referendum unconstitutional. The Judge entered an injunction blocking certification of the election & denied a motion to stay pending appeal. A final order will be entered once drafted, & it will be…
— Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) April 22, 2026
On Tuesday, the Virginia Supreme Court denied a request from the Democrats to pause the lower court’s order.
🚨 The Virginia Supreme Court denied a request by AG Jones to pause a lower court order that blocked the certification of the redistricting referendum.
The election will remain uncertified as the legal process plays out. pic.twitter.com/oCbaS7rQfd
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) April 28, 2026
WRIC reported:
The Supreme Court of Virginia has denied a request from Democrats and the state to pause last week’s ruling by a Tazewell County judge, which blocked the State Board of Elections from certifying the results of the April 21 redistricting referendum.
On Tuesday, April 28, a Tazewell County judge declared that the State Department of Elections could not move forward with certifying the results of the the April 21 referendum until the Supreme Court of Virginia weighed in.
Then, Democrats and the state requested this emergency stay, which would have allowed the Department of Elections to move forward with certification while the appeals process plays out.
However, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that the Department of Elections cannot do that. Our 8News legal analyst confirmed that this is just a ruling on the request for a stay and not on the merits of the appeal.
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