The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a three-judge panel to redraw the boundaries of 11 Virginia House of Delegates districts — including five in the Richmond-Petersburg area — that were found to have been illegally packed with African-American voters.

In a one-sentence order, the nation’s highest court rebuffed a request from Republicans in the House of Delegates to order a delay in the panel’s work until after the General Assembly elections are held in November.

The panel is seeking to issue new boundaries in March to ensure that candidates have adequate time to file and voters have time to adjust to the district changes.