Heartbreak for Dems As VA Senate Majority Leader Delivers Crushing Blow to Latest Gerrymander Schemehttps://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2026/05/11/virginia-senate-majority-leader-weighs-in-on-extreme-plans-being-considered-in-gerrymandering-battle-n2202214Perhaps the most extreme of the measures that, per The New York Times, were being considered during a meeting Saturday that included House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), was to have "Democrats in Richmond lower the mandatory retirement age for state Supreme Court justices... from 75 to 54," a plan that, if seen through, would force out every justice currently sitting on the state Supreme Court. Afterwards, they conceivably would use their power to "then fill vacancies on the court with sympathetic Democratic lawyers."
Unfortunately for Democrats, the brakes have been slammed on the various plots they were cooking up by none other than Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), according to reporting from the Virginia Scope's Brandon Jarvis:
Surovell, the top Democrat in the state Senate, told Virginia Scope Monday morning that these drastic measures will not be taken.
Surovell said that the time restrictions at the Department of Elections make the notion impractical.
He also said forcing the retirement of Supreme Court justices would be extreme, and he wants to work within the existing legal system when fighting against Republicans.
Ironically, Surovell's reported first reason is that the Dems cannot do this in compliance with the timing provisions of VA's Constitution.
IOW, if tried, the VSC would smack them down.
