(The Center Square) – The Supreme Court of Virginia has denied Attorney General Jay Jones’s emergency request to allow certification of last week’s redistricting referendum, keeping the results blocked.
In a brief order issued Tuesday, the court wrote, “Upon consideration whereof, the Court denies the motion.”
The request followed last Wednesday’s ruling by a Tazewell County judge that found the constitutional amendment process unconstitutional and barred the State Board of Elections from certifying the results of the statewide vote.
Jones had asked the court to lift that injunction and allow the election process to move forward while the case is litigated.
That means the referendum, which voters approved last week, cannot be certified for now.
Unofficial results show the measure passed with about 51.5% of the vote, or roughly 1.57 million yes votes to 1.48 million no votes. More than 3 million Virginians cast ballots in the statewide special election.
The decision applies only to the request for an emergency stay and does not address the underlying legal challenge, which remains pending.
The case, filed as Koski v. Republican National Committee, will continue as the court considers the broader constitutional questions tied to the amendment.
The dispute comes as Virginia faces upcoming election deadlines. Certification is required before election officials can begin updating voter districts and implementing any new congressional map, a process that can take weeks and cannot begin until results are finalized.
The court had previously allowed the referendum to proceed despite earlier legal challenges but has now declined to overturn the lower court ruling.
The Supreme Court did not provide further explanation in its order.
