The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday overturned the results of the state’s redistricting referendum, in which voters narrowly approved new Democrat-friendly congressional lines.

Democrats hoped to net up to four more seats in the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms through the new maps, one of the biggest redistricting wins for the party in the monthslong redistricting war that has played out across the country.

“This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy,” Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote in the majority opinion.

The judges struck down the maps by a 4-3 vote, largely on procedural grounds.

In response to the ruling, Democrats quickly pointed to the fact that voters had signed off on the lines.

“Unlike Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals, the Virginia General Assembly let the people decide for themselves in a free and fair election,” said Sen. Tim Kaine. “If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots. But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it.”

State Democrats echoed the sentiment.

“We respect the court,” said Virginia state House Speaker Don Scott. “But we will keep fighting for a democracy where voters — not politicians — have the final say. Because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people.”

Democrats launched intensive redistricting campaigns in Virginia and California, and flirted with the idea of redistricting in Illinois, Maryland and New York, in response to Republican redistricting efforts that began last summer in Texas at the request of President Donald Trump.

Democrats’ efforts to push back have gained additional urgency following a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, rendering minority-majority districts unconstitutional. That ruling has allowed Republican-led states new pathways to further redistrict, particularly in the South.

On Thursday, Republicans in Tennessee approved a new all-Republican leaning congressional map. On Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on new district lines — a move also being challenged in court — that could score Republicans up to four more seats in the state.

Republicans in Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina are also trying to usher in new Republican-friendly maps that could significantly alter the ground game ahead of the midterms and give them an advantage.

“Justice has been served,” former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote on X shortly after the ruling. “From the beginning, this was the most obvious violation of Virginia’s Constitution. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians.”

House Republicans also cheered the ruling.

“Virginia Democrats’ corrupt scheme to rig the map has been crushed in court, restoring fairness and protecting the future of the Commonwealth,” Rep. Richard Hudson, the National Republican Congressional Committee chair, wrote in a statement shortly after the ruling. “The NRCC was proud to lead and fund this fight to uphold the Virginia Constitution and protect fair representation, and this win is yet another sign Republicans have the momentum heading into November. We’re on offense, and we’re going to win.”