RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A federal court is extending a deadline for the General Assembly to redraw a congressional district that judges ruled was improperly drawn to make adjacent districts safer for Republican incumbents. The court said Monday that it was pushing back a deadline imposed on lawmakers, from April 1 to Sept. 1, to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in. A panel of federal judges ruled 2-1 last year in favor of two Virginia voters who accused the General Assembly of “racial gerrymandering” by packing African-Americans into state’s 3rd Congressional District. The GOP holds an 8-3 advantage in Virginia’s congressional delegation while all statewide elected offices are held by Democrats.
