Goldman Lawsuit Dismissed

A panel of three federal judges has dismissed the Goldman lawsuit seeking new House of Delegates elections this year.  The lawsuit filed by Democratic lawyer Paul Goldman in June 2021 claimed the 2021 House elections were unconstitutional because they were held on old district lines that hadn’t been updated to reflect 202 U.S. Census data. 

U.S. District Judge David Novak, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanie D. Thacker and Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson ruled June 6 in a 31-page opinion that Paul Goldman lacked standing to pursue the lawsuit because he couldn’t show his particular rights had been violated either as a voter or a candidate. 

According to reporter Graham Moomaw in a “Virginia Mercury” article,  “the opinion seems to acknowledge the possibility another party could step in to try to pick up the fight where Goldman failed.  While other groups have shown interest in Goldman’s legal battle, it took nearly a year for the court to rule on the basic question of whether Goldman had standing to sue, raising doubts about whether a new lawsuit could be filed and heard in time to conduct new elections this fall.  If no other legal challenges or appeals emerge, the House would be up for election again on new maps in 2023.”