Virginia Supreme Court Rejects Petition Challenging Ballot Language of Redistricting Amendment; Now, We’ll Just Have to Defeat It at the Polls

The legal challenge to the Virginia redistricting amendment’s ballot language was always a long shot by Paul Goldman – who loves nothing if not long shots! 🙂  For background, see AG Mark Herring Argues Petition for Writ of Mandamus re: Constitutional Amendment Ballot Language Should Be Dismissed for Three Main Reasons, BREAKING: Lawsuit Filed Against Redistricting Referendum in Supreme Court of Virginia, Letter to AG Herring: Case Law Suggests Redistricting Referendum is Misleading – plus, Virginia starts voting next Friday and ballots are being printed. Anyway, in the end, it’s not really surprising that the Virginia Supreme Court yesterday dismissed Goldman’s petition, writing that the court “determined Goldman is not entitled to a writ of mandamus or a writ of prohibition for the reasons stated.” The court added:

“Issuing a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to prohibit the printing of ballots would frustrate, rather than compel, the respondents’ performance of this ministerial duty. Therefore, mandamus does not lie.”

So that ends that; nice try by Paul Goldman. Now, we’ll have to just defeat this fatally flawed amendment – one that could “enshrine political gerrymandering in our state constitution” – at the polls!