Missouri judge rules in favor of Republican-friendly redistricting
A Missouri judge ruled that a referendum cannot override the state legislature’s authority to pass congressional maps, allowing the use of a Republican-backed map in the November election. The decision favors missouri Republicans and is expected to influence the Kansas City-area district in favor of the GOP, shifting a long-held democratic seat. The legal dispute arose when Secretary of state Denny Hoskins rejected a referendum petition aimed at blocking the map, citing that it violated the Missouri Constitution by making broad reforms rather than addressing a single issue. The petitioners, including group “People Not Politicians,” gathered over 300,000 signatures but were rejected, leading to the map’s implementation before any veto referendum could take effect. The plaintiff, Richard von Glahn, quickly appealed the ruling. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed the new district map last September after a special legislative session prompted by President Trump, which altered districts to favor Republicans. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the referendum signatures should have suspended the map, but the court disagreed, affirming that a referendum does not halt legislation upon submission. This action is part of a broader trend among Republican-led states,especially in the South,to redraw districts ahead of the 2026 elections,following similar efforts in Texas.
A Missouri judge ruled Wednesday that a referendum cannot override the state legislature’s authority to enact congressional maps, clearing the way for the state to use a Republican-backed map in November’s general election.
The ruling is a victory for Missouri Republicans and preserves a map that is expected to make the Kansas City-area congressional seat long held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) shift in favor of Republicans.
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Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green sided with Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, finding that he had the “authority to reject [the petition] for violating the Missouri Constitution.”
“Instead of addressing a single subject, tied to a single article in the Missouri Constitution, [the petition] makes sweeping reforms affecting multiple provisions of the Missouri Constitution,” Green wrote in his decision.
The legal fight stems from a congressional map approved by Missouri lawmakers last year that drew opposition from Democrats and voting-rights groups. One group, People Not Politicians, gathered more than 300,000 signatures in an effort to force a veto referendum on the map. Under Missouri law, voters can challenge enacted legislation through a referendum if supporters gather enough signatures and subsequently win a majority of votes in a statewide election.
However, Hoskins rejected the referendum petition this month, prompting the legal challenge over whether the signatures should have halted implementation of the congressional map. Following the rejections, Missouri used the GOP-backed map in its primary elections.
Plaintiff Richard von Glahn swiftly appealed the ruling Wednesday evening, according to the court docket.
Gov. Mike Kehoe (R-MO) called lawmakers into a special legislative session last year to consider redrawing the state’s congressional districts at the behest of President Donald Trump. Kehoe signed the new map into law in September, splitting portions of Kansas City among three congressional districts and adding Republican-leaning areas to Cleaver’s district.
BY THE NUMBERS: HOW MANY SEATS HAS EACH PARTY GAINED IN REDISTRICTING?
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri argued in a lawsuit that submitting the referendum signatures should have suspended the map before it took effect in December 2025. A lower court rejected that argument in March, siding with the state’s position that “a referendum does not suspend legislation upon mere submission.”
Missouri Republicans followed Texas in moving aggressively to redraw congressional districts last year. Since then, several other Republican-led states, particularly in the South, have pursued similar efforts to reshape their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections.
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