US Supreme Court Rejects Virginia Redistricting Appeal; Democratic Mid-term Prospects Stumble

(Central News Agency, Washington, 15th, combined foreign dispatches) The US Supreme Court rejected the final effort by Virginia Democrats today to restore a voter-approved redistricting plan that would have given Democrats an advantage in November's mid-term elections. AFP reported that the appeal sought to overturn a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court last week, which blocked the use of the new voting map on the grounds that Democratic legislators failed to follow the constitutional process for referendum. The Supreme Court did not provide specific reasons for rejecting the emergency appeal, only stating in a written order: "The application for a stay submitted to the Chief Justice and referred by him to the Court is denied." This redistricting proposal, approved in a state referendum last month, would have allowed Democrats to redraw Virginia's congressional districts in the middle of the regular 10-year cycle, potentially expanding their 6-to-5 advantage in the federal House delegation to 10-to-1. The ruling preserves the current map and marks another flashpoint in the escalating national redistricting war between Democrats and Republicans, as both parties compete for a majority in the House. US President Trump urged Republican-led states such as Texas to redraw congressional maps in favor of the Republican Party last year, helping to spark the latest wave of redistricting wars. Democrats responded with countermeasures in states such as California and Virginia. (Compiled: Li Peishan) 1150516