Maureen Edobor on Virginia Redistricting Case Edobor examined the oral argument at the Virginia Supreme Court on the recent redistricting effort for the Election Law Blog.

By Law Communications
April 29, 2026

Washington and Lee law professor Maureen Edobor contributed a post to the Election Law Blog hosted by UCLA School of Law. Her post, titled “Making Sense of the Supreme Court of Virginia Oral Argument in the Redistricting Case,” examined the three main issues before the court, all of which involve procedural questions that have never been considered, including the relationship between a special session and general session, the meaning of “next election” in a constitutional context, and statutory notice requirements.

“Yet focusing too narrowly on these three issues misses the deeper question running through the case. How should the court read the Virginia Constitution when text, structure, and practical consequences point in different directions? On one view, the court should hew closely to text and precedent, declining invitations to police legislative procedure or to update constitutional terms in light of modern practices. On another, it should take seriously the functional consequences of its decisions, particularly where legislative incentives may undermine procedural safeguards. The argument never fully resolved that tension. One additional observation is worth noting. The General Assembly’s concession on its own procedural noncompliance was striking,” wrote Edobor.

The full post is available online at the Election Law Blog.

Edobor joined the faculty in 2023. She teaches and writes in constitutional law, election law, and democratic theory, and serves as a Theodore DeLaney Center Fellow focusing on Southern race relations, politics, and culture. Her scholarship examines how constitutional and election law doctrines influence access to democratic participation and shape collective understandings of civic identity.

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