Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones soon is going to have to appear in court to defend the state’s radical redistricting scheme pushed by leftist Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who wanted 49% of the state’s population, the Republicans, to have only 9% of the state’s congressional representation.
That plan was approved, narrowly, by voters this week and it immediately was suspended by a judge who ruled it was unconstitutional for failing to meet multiple legal requirements, such as size and shape of districts, the time frame for adopting, and more.
Now constitutional expert Jonathan Turley said Jones was unable to defend it during a recent interview.
Jones, to CNN host Brianna Keilar, responded to a question whether Judge Jack Hurley, who disallowed the election, had “a point” that it was misleading.
It radically claimed that the Democrats’ agenda was to restore “fairness.”
“Jones went into an account of how the ‘yes side prevailed’ and called Hurley ‘an activist judge.’ Keilar reasonably followed up, noting, ‘I know that you’re calling him an activist judge, but he is citing the Virginia Constitution and legal experts that we’ve spoken to say what he’s saying is going to create some pretty big challenges for you in court that you will have to overcome.’”
She then asked the question again.
“Jones had that deer in the headlights look and went into a babbling spin: ‘Well, look, I’m really proud of Virginia. I believe the right to vote is sacred, not just as Virginians, but as Americans. This is the birthplace of democracy,’” Turlery reported.
“I don’t hear you answering the substance of my question,” Keilar said.
Turley noted Jones will have to “up his game a bit” and soon, as the issue is expected to be on appeal.
He explained, “Many of us have expressed skepticism over the process and language of the resolution that passed this week, effectively wiping out all but one GOP district in the purple state. Virginia was considered the gold standard among states rejecting gerrymandering with fairly divided districts in a state that is divided right down the middle. It then elected a governor, Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who assured voters that she was adamantly against gerrymandering and then immediately called for the most radical gerrymandered map in the nation after she was elected.”
He noted even the Washington Post called the Democrats’ plan “shockingly dishonest and misleading.”
“If the [state Supreme] court stands with the law and throws out the vote, Democrats could face the ultimate disaster. They just spent a fortune to narrowly pass the resolution. In so doing, they alienated half of the state, who took it rather personally that Democrats were trying to wipe out virtually all of their representation in the state after recently promising never to engage in such gerrymandering,” he said.
We are having quite the night in the courts. A Virginia judge just blocked the state from certifying the results of Tuesday’s congressional map referendum as unlawful. Judge Jack Hurley Jr., ruled that Democrats did not follow the correct procedure for a constitutional…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 22, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump GOES OFF on the “rigged election” in VIRGINIA this week
“I believe it was a rigged election! Virginia is KNOWN for that! Anytime you have mail in-ballots, you have CHEATING!”
“Hopefully the courts OVERTURN what they did in Virginia”
“You have a… pic.twitter.com/oDzHQze810
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 23, 2026
WorldNetDaily had reported how the Democrats want to take control of 10 of the state’s 11 districts. Previously the split had been 6-5 in their favor.
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
Ken Cuccinelli, the state’s former attorney general and an expert on elections, announced Wednesday afternoon, “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 immediately appealed.”
The “yes” vote has won Va’s redistricting referendum — but the legal fight is just beginning. Four Va Constitutional challenges are now teed up:
THREE challenges to the amendment process itself:
1️⃣ First passage was invalid. The amendment was taken up during a special session…— Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) April 22, 2026
Cuccinelli explained that the legal fight was just starting.
“Four Va Constitutional challenges are now teed up: THREE challenges to the amendment process,” he said.
