“Democrats are struggling to respond to a major redistricting setback in Virginia, with some party leaders discussing an audacious and possibly far-fetched idea for trying to restore a congressional map voided by the court but showing little indication they have a clear plan,” the New York Times reports.

“During a private discussion on Saturday that included Democratic House members from Virginia and Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, the lawmakers vented anger at their defeat at the Virginia Supreme Court, spoke about a collective determination to flip two or three Republican-held seats under the existing map and discussed a bank-shot proposal to redraw the congressional lines anyway.”

“President Trump and top aides are pressuring Republican leaders in South Carolina and other Southern states to pursue mid-decade redistricting plans after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“White House officials have been met with notes of caution about redistricting in the Palmetto State, which is a major focus of the push, including from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. That has prompted Trump officials to place calls to multiple Republican state senators to urge action on redistricting.”

“Trump officials have also called GOP officials in Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee in support of redistricting… making the case that the issue remains important to the president.”

New York Times: “A coast-to-coast sprint of partisan one-upmanship in which eight states have redrawn their congressional districts since last summer is likely to escalate next year to at least a dozen more as both parties seek maximum advantage in their battle for control of the House.”

“Four states are considering drawing new congressional or judicial maps for partisan gain in the coming weeks that could be implemented in time for the fall midterms. But the real flurry could come next year, when at least a dozen more that sat out this year’s redistricting parade could join the fray.”

“With Democrats’ national redistricting calculus now in disarray over Friday’s court order blocking new Virginia maps, party leaders are looking to New York as a prime opportunity to keep pace with Republicans,” Politico reports.

“But as top Democrats in the Empire State move ahead with their attempt to redraw lines in 2028, they’re also far more likely to pull their punches in the ongoing gerrymandering wars.”

“Alabama lawmakers approved a plan Friday for new U.S. House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year’s elections, sending the legislation to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey,” the AP reports.

The Virginia Supreme Court has invalidated the April 21 redistricting referendum, striking a devastating blow to Democrats who stood to gain four new blue seats from the voter-approved map, Punchbowl News reports.

The vote was 4-3.

The court ruled that the Democratic-controlled legislature did not follow proper procedure for enacting a constitutional amendment.

Rick Hasen: “There does not appear to be any further recourse to change Virginia’s maps before the 2026 elections, dealing a blow to Democrats in the gerrymandering wars recently supercharged by the Supreme Court’s decision in Callais.”

For members: The Map Wars Turns Against Democrats

And on this week’s Trial Balloon: Map Wars

Washington Post: “Republicans in the Tennessee House adopted a plan Thursday aimed at giving them an additional congressional seat as GOP lawmakers around the country scramble to improve their fortunes this fall.”

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) told the Daily Caller the door isn’t closed on a possible redraw of his state’s congressional map.

“Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new congressional map on Wednesday that would wipe out the lone Democratic seat in the Volunteer State,” Punchbowl News reports.

“The proposal, which must pass the GOP-dominated state legislature, cracks Memphis’ Shelby County into three districts and likely dooms the reelection prospects of longtime Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN).”

“Tennessee’s primary is not until August, giving Republican lawmakers there more time than other states to switch up their congressional map.”

Rachel Bade: “Forget waiting for the Virginia Supreme Court to rule on the state’s redistricting fight — Democrats aren’t even pretending to keep it together behind closed doors anymore…”

“Just last fall, the same senior Virginia Democrats who pushed the redistricting gambit were telling Dan the effort was a slam dunk — that they were 90 percent confident the court would quickly allow the new maps to take effect. Yesterday, those same folks told Dan their confidence has cratered to under 50 percent.”

“The source of panic? That the state’s high court failed by Friday afternoon to toss the GOP’s challenge to the new maps.”

Marc Novicoff: “If the intent behind disenfranchising minority voters appears to be merely partisan, the gerrymander is now legal. The ruling will allow Republican state legislatures in the South to erase most if not all of the region’s few blue House districts without fear of being blocked in court.”

“And so the gerrymandering wars, already awful, are poised to get even worse. Democrats will respond to the Republican response to Callais; Republicans will respond to the response to the response; voters will lose in the process. In a few years, almost every seat in the House of Representatives could be safely occupied by a hyper-partisan incumbent, beholden only to primary voters.”

“The chamber could become something like the Electoral College: Whoever wins a state gets all of its representatives, and the winners are there just to vote for or against the president.”