Virginia Democrat who helped lead state’s redistricting push also played part in killing it
one up Virginia The Democrat’s support for his state’s redistricting referendum ironically backfired when a judge he had previously appointed helped stall his party’s push to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who supports the referendum and participates in pro-referendum events, donated $100,000 to the campaign behind Virginia Democrats’ redistricting effort. voters approved in April. On Friday, Judge D. Arthur Kelsey, whom Warner appointed while governor in 2002, was among four justices who voted to strike down the referendum on constitutional grounds. In fact, Judge Kelsey wrote the 4-3 judge opinion.
The voter-approved ballot measure would give Democrats a huge advantage heading into November’s midterm elections, and Democrats vastly outperformed Republicans to pass it. But Kelsey wrote in the prevailing opinion that Democrats’ voting order in the referendum violated the state’s Constitution, requiring an intervention choice by the state legislature between a mandatory first and second passage of the proposed constitutional amendment.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., arrives at the Capitol Visitor Center for a briefing on Iran on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
(Getty Images)
Warner, who was Governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006, previously appointed Kelsey, then a Circuit Court judge, to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Kelsey served two terms before the GOP state legislature elevated him to state chairman. Supreme CourtWhere Kelsey has been serving since 2015.
When Warner appointed Kelsey to the Virginia Court of Appeals in 2002, he praised the then-Suffolk circuit judge for displaying “a sharp mind, a strong work ethic and a commitment to equal justice,” according to a Virginia Lawyers Weekly report at the time.
“Although I had not met Judge Kelsey before this process began,” Warner added in 2002, “I have spoken with him at length, examined his numerous opinions, and consulted with those who know him well.”
I follow the following Virginia Supreme Court decisionWarner issued a statement in a news release saying he respected the decision but added: “It is impossible to ignore that more than three million Virginians have already voted for the amendment and deserve to have their voices heard.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Warner to see if the decision was fair, but the senator’s spokesperson only referred Fox News Digital to the news release via press release.
Judge D. Arthur Kelsey speaks during the appointment ceremony for Chief Justice Cleo E. Powell, the first African-American female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, held in the Virginia Supreme Court chambers on March 2, 2026, in Richmond, Virginia.
“Donald Trump He assumed he could change the playing field and secure political advantage before a single vote was taken. But Virginians are paying attention,” Warner said in a public statement. “They want leaders who will protect their rights, defend their freedoms, and actually focus on cutting costs and getting things done. “Democrats will be on stage again this November, we will still compete everywhere, and when the votes are counted, Virginians will send a strong message about the kind of leadership they want.”
The prevailing view, written by Kelsey, said Democrats’ proposed map would replace Virginia’s current 6-5 congressional split with a “highly partisan, gerrymandered map” that was expected to create a 10-to-1 advantage for a single party.
Kelsey emphasized that according to the new map proposed by Democrats, approximately 47% of Virginians voted for a political party in the last election. congressional election While Virginia will be represented in the U.S. House by only 9% of its delegation, the 51% of Virginians who vote for the other major political party will be represented by 91% of Virginia’s congressional delegation.
Signs urge early voters to vote yes or no in Virginia’s redistricting referendum at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
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Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger He said Friday that he was “disappointed” in the Supreme Court’s decision and joined other Democrats in criticizing the state’s Supreme Court for overruling the will of the voters.
Following the decision, Spanberger said, “More than three million Virginians cast their ballots in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, and a majority of Virginia voters voted against the President who said he was ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress in a tentative and responsive referendum. They made their voices heard.” he said.
“I am disappointed in the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision, but my focus as Governor will be to ensure that all voters have the information they need to make their voices heard in the midterm elections this November, because we – the voters – will have the final say in this election.”
Original article source: The Virginia Democrat who led the state’s redistricting effort also played a role in killing the state
