The Supreme Court has agreed to hear for the second time arguments in a redistricting dispute over nearly a dozen Virginia state legislative districts.
The court announced Tuesday it will take up an appeal from Virginia Republicans in the case involving 11 Virginia House of Delegates districts. The districts were struck down by a divided lower court earlier this year as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.
With its ruling in favor of Democratic voters, the lower court ruled Virginia lawmakers wrongly packed black voters into districts when it drew its 2011 state House map. The court then ordered the state legislature to draw a new map by Oct. 30. However, when it became clear it would be a challenge to reach agreement on new voting lines, the court appointed an expert to redraw the legislative districts.
The justices first heard the challenge to the Virginia House districts last year. In a 7-1 ruling, the justices threw out a 2015 ruling upholding the legislative voting map and sent the case back to the lower court.
Virginia holds its elections for the state legislature in odd-numbered years, and the 2019 elections will determine which political party is in power during the next round of redistricting, which will occur after the 2020 census. Democrats made major gains in the 2017 legislative elections — the House of Delegates is controlled by Republicans by a 51-49 majority, while Republicans hold control of the state Senate 21-19.
[Also read: Emboldened Democrats eager to strike back at GOP over gerrymandering]
