WASHINGTON (WJLA) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid from Virginia leaders to restore congressional maps favoring Democrats that narrowly passed in an April referendum.

A one-sentence order published online did not elaborate on why the court rejected the stay, though it noted that the request for a stay was presented to Chief Justice John Roberts.

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Republicans challenged the redistricting efforts with several lawsuits in the Tazewell Circuit Court that reached the state’s highest court. Following the referendum, the Virginia Supreme Court narrowly voted to block the certification of the votes.

The Supreme Court historically tries to avoid second-guessing state courts’ interpretations of their own constitutions.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, said this week that the state’s midterms would be held based on districts established by a nonpartisan group in 2021. She responded with the following statement on social media after the ruling.

“The Supreme Court of the United States has now joined the Supreme Court of Virginia in choosing to nullify an election and the votes of more than three million Virginians. These Virginians made their voices heard — casting their ballots in good faith to push back against a President who said he’s “entitled” to more seats in Congress before voters go to the polls.

As Governor, I will make sure voters know when and how to cast their votes this year. Because our votes are how we choose the representation we deserve.”

It’s the latest twist in a nationwide mid-decade redistricting effort initially spurred on by President Donald Trump, urging Republican-led states to redraw maps and give the party more seats ahead of the midterms.

Virginia was one of several Democrat-led states that moved forward with their own redistricting measure, which would have provided the party 10 U.S. House seats and left the GOP with one.

The move followed days after the Supreme Court made a ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, with more Republican led states moving forward with new congressional maps that critics warned would weaken the voices of minorities on Capitol Hill.

Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.