RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Republicans want to block a federal court from approving a new legislative map until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether it’s even needed. Speaker Kirk Cox asked the high court Thursday to delay a lower court’s plans to approve a new map after a Jan. 10 hearing. The Supreme Court agreed last month to hear an appeal from Republicans who are trying to preserve state legislative districts that have been struck down as racially discriminatory. A lower court is moving ahead with plans to implement a new map, and a court-appointed expert released potential maps last week for consideration. Cox said having the lower court approve a new map only to have it discarded later by the Supreme Court would confuse voters.
