A Virginia judge on Wednesday paused the certification of referendum results that would lead to redrawing the state's congressional map.
Virginians approved a measure on Tuesday to change district lines, possibly helping Democrats win control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
The court deemed the new map and the bill that triggered it unconstitutional, following a lawsuit from the Republican National Committee. The state has said it will appeal.
The state is the latest in a national redistricting race that began after President Donald Trump urged conservative states to re-examine voting maps to help Republicans keep their congressional majority.
Each of the state's newly drawn districts could have a role in deciding which political party takes the House, the lower chamber of Congress. The midterms, which decide who controls Congress, take place in November and Virginia's redistricting could help Democrats win as many as four House seats currently held by Republicans.
The balance of power in the House now stands at 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats, and one independent, who caucuses with Republicans. The latest margins come after the death of a Democrat in Georgia was announced on Wednesday.
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