Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday approved a new map of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts in the face of Democratic warnings that the new lines suppress minority votes. The Republican governor’s endorsement of the new map comes a day after a court allowed a lawsuit against the state’s redistricting process to move forward. That suit alleges that the General Assembly violated the state constitution when it approved the maps last week.
McDonnell, who normally announces important bill signings, approved the new maps with little fanfare. Spokeswoman Taylor Thornley confirmed to The Washington Examiner that McDonnell signed the bill Tuesday night “after reviewing the legislation and consulting with the Attorney General’s Office.”
The map, pushed by Republicans, largely strengthens the districts for Virginia’s 11 incumbents, including eight Republicans and three Democrats, helping protect them as they head into the 2012 elections.
Senate Democrats objected to the new lines, insisting Republicans packed black voters into a single minority-majority district in Hampton Roads that’s represented by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. Black lawmakers hoped to reduce the minority population in Scott’s district and shift some of those voters into a new black-majority district near Richmond.
Democrats who controlled the Senate and Republicans running the House were unable to agree on a new map before the end of last year. That prompted two citizen lawsuits claiming the General Assembly failed to act by the constitutionally mandated deadline of Dec. 31.
A Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled Tuesday that one of the lawsuits would proceed, rejecting a motion from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to dismiss them. Cuccinelli argued that as long as the General Assembly completed the redistricting process by the 2012 elections, there was no reason for the court to intervene.
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Judge Richard Taylor rejected that argument and said if lawmakers are allowed to delay the process until 2012, nothing could stop them from putting it off even longer.
Cuccinelli asked the Virginia Supreme Court on Wednesday to immediately intervene in the case because the U.S. Justice Department needs time to review the new lines to ensure they comply with the Voting Rights Act. That could take up to 60 days, and the congressional primary elections are in June.
