In blow to Trump, Missouri top court blocks Republican-drawn congressional map
The seven-member court, including five Republican-appointed judges, unanimously ruled that voters must approve the map in a November referendum before it takes effect.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in the November midterm elections, dealing a setback to the party's chances of maintaining its slim majority in the US House. The ruling could preserve the seat of Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City, whose district was dismantled under the reconfigured map.
With five Republican-appointed judges, the unanimous court decision mandates that the map require voter approval in a November referendum before taking effect. Missouri's Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway vowed to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, deeming it a violation of federal law and precipitating a constitutional crisis in the state.
President Trump condemned the ruling as "a Dark Day for Justice in Missouri!" on social media. Opponents of the new map, People Not Politicians, amassed signatures to initiate a referendum under a state constitutional provision that authorizes a ballot measure to ratify any legislative act. However, Missouri's Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins dismissed the petition, contending that state constitutional language does not pertain to congressional redistricting.
The court dismissed this argument as well. The referendum petition proved to be legal, sufficient, and timely, according to Judge Ginger Gooch, who authored the court's decision. The redrawn map will only become operational once approved by voters, Gooch added. Missouri's constitution is clear, and those words hold significance, stated Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians.
Missouri joined numerous other states in drafting new maps or taking measures to do so amid a significant mid-decade redistricting battle that commenced when Trump encouraged Texas Republicans to alter their U.S. House map. Following a US Supreme Court ruling that allowed several conservative Southern states to eliminate districts with substantial Black populations, Republicans generally emerged victorious in the redistricting conflict.
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