Speaker Howell, Majority Leader Norment statement on Board of Elections court ruling

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) today issued the following statement on the ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to deny the General Assembly’s request that the deadline for legislative action related to Page v. Virginia State Board of Elections be extended until November 16.

“We are disappointed that the Court declined our request to extend its deadline for legislative action related to the Congressional redistricting lawsuit until November 16.  We continue to believe that an extension would have preserved the right of the defendants to fully litigate this case, while still giving ample time for the Commonwealth to prepare in advance of the 2016 Congressional elections. We are evaluating our next steps.”