The Virginia Supreme Court blocked a new congressional map approved by state voters that was poised to help Democrats gain as many as four additional US House seats, handing Republicans an important victory after a year of redistricting efforts had largely ended in a stalemate.

In a 4-3 decision, the state’s highest court ruled on Friday that the legislature’s process for pursuing the new map violated Virginia’s Constitution and ordered that an earlier version be used in the upcoming midterm elections.

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Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement that his office is “carefully reviewing this unprecedented order” and evaluating “every legal pathway forward to defend the will of the people and protect the integrity of Virginia’s elections.”

“Today the Supreme Court of Virginia has chosen to put politics over the rule of law by issuing a ruling that overturns the April 21st special election on redistricting,” Jones said. “This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginians who cast their ballots in every corner of the Commonwealth, and it fuels the growing fears across our nation about the state of our democracy.”