He ruled that legislative Democrats had sidestepped both state law and their own rules in a rush to redraw congressional districts before the midterm elections this November. The General Assembly first approved the redistricting amendment in a special session held Oct. 31, just a few days before in-person voting for state House elections. After all, Democrats will tell you that Judge Hurley ran for the state legislature in 1999 as a Republican. The legislative action took place only four days before the November 2025 state House elections. In his opinion, Judge Hurley ruled that a lack of required public notice was a fatal defect in the legislature’s approval of the constitutional amendment last October.