US court torpedoes Democrats’ redistricting win

WASHINGTON – The Virginia Supreme Court on May 8 overturned the US state’s voter-approved redistricting plan, dealing a huge blow to Democrats’ hopes of reshaping the battle for control of Congress ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

In a ruling following months of legal challenges, the court found that Democratic lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures in a closely watched referendum on a map that the party hoped would create several new safe seats.

“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court said. AFP