If you live in VA contact your Reps. Tell them to ignore the VA Supreme Court.
In case you’re unaware, yesterday the VA Supreme Court voted 4-3 to overturn the results of the April 21st referendum to redistrict Virginia as a counter to Republican gerrymandering across the country. The 4 votes to block were all from Republican nominated judges.
This is a nakedly political and partisan decision by the court that overrides the votes of 3 million Virginians. Unlike Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, the people of Virginia voted for this. We did democracy by the rules and the court changed the rules (quite literally if you read their decision).
VA Democrat’s response has been mixed at best but weak. Gov Spanberger says she’s “disappointed” in the court, and Speaker of the House Don Scott says he “respects the courts decision”. AG Jones says he is “pursuing all legal options” to overturn the decision. Even fucking Hakeem Jeffries wants to overturn the decision.
The answer to this authoritarianism is simple. The Democratic state trifecta passes the maps with legislation anyway and ignores the court’s decision. Stop playing by the rules if they’re going to be made up on the fly. Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida all have already done this for Republicans and ignored their state supreme courts to do so.
**If you have a Democratic representative in Virginia you should be blowing up their phones and email demanding they use the new maps anyway.**
(If you have a Republican rep you can also write them and tell them to fuck themselves.)
Anyone who opposes Donald Trump, the GOP, and fascism has a moral imperative to do everything in their power to stop them. The Republican Party sees themselves already at war with anyone who doesn’t agree with them, it’s time we start responding to their hostility. This flagrant authoritarianism by the court cannot go unpunished. If left unchallenged what’s to stop them from invalidating every other election that doesn’t go their way? What’s to stop SCOTUS from pulling the same shit?
VA Representative lookup: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
(This will also find your state senator)
This is a nakedly political and partisan decision by the court that overrides the votes of 3 million Virginians. Unlike Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, the people of Virginia voted for this. We did democracy by the rules and the court changed the rules (quite literally if you read their decision).
VA Democrat’s response has been mixed at best but weak. Gov Spanberger says she’s “disappointed” in the court, and Speaker of the House Don Scott says he “respects the courts decision”. AG Jones says he is “pursuing all legal options” to overturn the decision. Even fucking Hakeem Jeffries wants to overturn the decision.
The answer to this authoritarianism is simple. The Democratic state trifecta passes the maps with legislation anyway and ignores the court’s decision. Stop playing by the rules if they’re going to be made up on the fly. Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida all have already done this for Republicans and ignored their state supreme courts to do so.
**If you have a Democratic representative in Virginia you should be blowing up their phones and email demanding they use the new maps anyway.**
(If you have a Republican rep you can also write them and tell them to fuck themselves.)
Anyone who opposes Donald Trump, the GOP, and fascism has a moral imperative to do everything in their power to stop them. The Republican Party sees themselves already at war with anyone who doesn’t agree with them, it’s time we start responding to their hostility. This flagrant authoritarianism by the court cannot go unpunished. If left unchallenged what’s to stop them from invalidating every other election that doesn’t go their way? What’s to stop SCOTUS from pulling the same shit?
VA Representative lookup: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
(This will also find your state senator)