Jack S. Hurley Jr.
Virginia 29th-circuit judge in Tazewell County; voided 2026 redistricting referendum void ab initio.
Last refreshed: 28 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Will the Virginia Supreme Court overturn Hurley's redistricting block before 25 May?
Timeline for Jack S. Hurley Jr.
Cook moves 5 Virginia seats on a voided map
US Midterms 2026Ruled authorising House bill void ab initio and permanently enjoined certification
US Midterms 2026: Virginia map vote passes, then voided- Why did Judge Hurley void the Virginia redistricting referendum?
- Hurley found the referendum lacked constitutional authority on two grounds: the enabling legislation was not passed in two separate legislative sessions as required, and the ballot wording was "flagrantly misleading" to voters.Source: Newsweek
- What happens to Virginia's redistricting after Judge Hurley's ruling?
- The case moved to the Virginia Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on 27 April 2026 but issued no ruling. Virginia's 25 May candidate filing deadline creates the binding operational deadline for resolution.Source: Virginia Supreme Court hearing, 27 April 2026
- Who is Judge Jack Hurley in Virginia?
- Jack S. "Chip" Hurley Jr. is a Circuit Court judge on the 29th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, based in Tazewell County. He was appointed in August 2012 by Governor Bob McDonnell and came to national attention in April 2026 when he voided the Virginia redistricting referendum.Source: Ballotpedia
- What does void ab initio mean in the Virginia redistricting case?
- Void ab initio means the redistricting referendum was treated as legally invalid from the outset, not merely defective. Judge Hurley ruled the authorising legislation had never been validly enacted because it was not approved in two separate legislative sessions as the Virginia constitution requires.Source: CNN
- When is the Virginia Supreme Court expected to rule on the redistricting appeal?
- The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments on 27 April 2026 but issued no ruling and set no timeline. The binding operational deadline is the 25 May 2026 candidate filing date, by which a final decision must come if new district lines are to apply to the 2026 midterms.Source: CNN
- Where is Tazewell County and Bluefield Virginia?
- Tazewell County is in south-west Virginia, bordering West Virginia. Bluefield is the largest town straddling the Virginia-West Virginia state line and is where Judge Hurley resides.Source: Ballotpedia
Background
Judge Jack S. "Chip" Hurley Jr. became a central figure in the 2026 Virginia redistricting dispute when, on 22 April 2026, he ruled the voter-approved redistricting referendum void ab initio, permanently enjoining the Virginia State Board of Elections from certifying the result. Hurley found that the authorising legislation had not been validly approved in two separate legislative sessions as required by the Virginia constitution, and condemned the ballot wording as "flagrantly misleading". The ruling created an immediate operational crisis: with no certified map, the 25 May 2026 candidate filing deadline became the binding constraint on any appeal.
Hurley sits on the 29th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, based in Tazewell County in the south-west of the state. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in August 2012 by Governor Bob McDonnell (R), having previously served as a General District Court judge in the same region and before that as a prosecutor for the Town of Tazewell and in private practice. He holds a degree from Davidson College and a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, and resides in Bluefield, Virginia.
The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments on 27 April 2026 but issued no ruling and set no timeline, leaving Hurley's injunction in effect and Cook Political Report's downward revision of five Virginia House districts contingent on a map that cannot yet be certified. Whether his strict two-session reading of the Virginia constitution survives appellate review will determine whether Democratic-leaning district lines take effect before the 2026 midterms.