JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that new congressional districts, supported by President Donald Trump, can be utilized in the upcoming midterm elections. This decision comes despite the possibility of a voter referendum challenging the new map.
The ruling from Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe represents a victory for Republicans, who aim to secure an additional congressional seat in November. The new district map has been controversial, with over 300,000 petition signatures submitted to demand a statewide vote on the matter.
Opponents of the new districts argued that the implementation should have been halted once the petition signatures were submitted. However, Stumpe stated that the opponents acted prematurely and lacked the legal basis for their lawsuit. He further noted that the map could only be suspended if the referendum petition is validated with sufficient legitimate signatures.
“Without verification requirements, any group could suspend legislation merely by submitting boxes of invalid signatures, signatures of unregistered voters, forged names, or other fraudulent submissions,” Stumpe wrote. “Clearly, the framers of Missouri’s Constitution could not have intended such an easily exploited system that would allow bad-faith actors to paralyze the legislative process.”
A decision is still to come on referendum signatures
Under Missouri law, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has until August 4, coinciding with the state’s primary election, to determine the validity of the referendum petition. Reports from local election authorities suggest that the petition might gather enough signatures. Nonetheless, Hoskins has expressed doubts about the referendum’s legality.
“I believe that the referendum process was never meant to be used for congressional redistricting,” Hoskins remarked earlier this month in an interview with The Associated Press.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway praised the court’s decision as “a win on all counts.” Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, representing the voters who signed the petition, announced plans to appeal the ruling.
“This order defies over a century of judicial precedent while rendering Missourians’ constitutional right to the referendum process second to the will of politicians,” the ACLU commented in a statement.
If the referendum proceeds, voters will not see the original ballot summary prepared by Hoskins. Judge Stumpe ruled that the initial summary was biased and ordered a revised version to be used.
Virginia could be the next to decide on redistricting
The redistricting conflict in Missouri is part of a broader national struggle that began last summer. President Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw districts to bolster GOP chances in the midterms, which led to similar actions in other states, including California.
This redistricting struggle has so far marginally favored Republicans, who are striving to maintain their narrow majority in the House. Meanwhile, Virginia voters are set to decide in an April 21 election on a mid-decade redistricting proposal that could benefit Democrats.
The ultimate impact of these redistricting efforts on House control remains uncertain, especially with Trump’s approval ratings under scrutiny and historical trends of the ruling party losing midterm seats.
New Missouri map splits up Kansas City district
Missouri’s current representation in the U.S. House consists of six Republicans and two Democrats, based on a map enacted in 2022. Initially, there was an attempt to create a map that would give Republicans seven seats, but concerns about spreading their numbers too thin prevailed.
However, due to pressure from the White House, Republicans revisited the district boundaries last year. A new map was passed during a special legislative session, aiming to help Republicans win a Kansas City-area seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The revised map reassigns parts of Kansas City to adjacent Republican districts and extends Cleaver’s district into Republican-dominated rural areas.
Six Republicans have already filed for a primary to challenge Cleaver, with the deadline for candidacy approaching.
Recently, the Missouri Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge against the mid-decade redistricting, and another trial court rejected claims that the new districts violated constitutional compactness requirements. The latter case is now under appeal to the state Supreme Court.
