(This article comes courtesy of MissouriNet.)
The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld the state legislature’s authority to redraw congressional districts mid‑decade, ruling lawmakers acted within their constitutional powers when they approved new maps last year.
The decision clears a major legal hurdle for the redrawn districts, but the political fight is far from over. Reaction at the Missouri Capitol split sharply along party lines, as Republican lawmakers praised the ruling while Democrats warned it could open the door to repeated redistricting battles.
State Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, said the court’s decision was expected, arguing the legislature has broad authority when it comes to congressional maps.
“Just because we are required to redistrict once every decade, we are not limited to that,” Hudson said. “We have the authority to redraw these maps whenever the legislature deems it necessary and appropriate to accurately reflect the will of Missourians in our congressional delegation, and we did that.”
Hudson added he believes the issue is now settled and said the new districts better represent Missouri at the federal level.
“I think we’ve got ourselves a map that is a Missouri First map,” he said. “It accurately reflects the will of Missourians, and it will help make sure that we are accurately represented in D.C.”
Democrats, however, sharply criticized the ruling. State Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Clay County, called the decision disappointing and warned it could lead to a cycle of partisan map‑drawing whenever political power changes.
“They have now put us into a new era of the wild, wild west,” Nurrenbern said. “Moving forward, that will continue to be a tremendous amount of time and resources spent on regular redistricting. Whichever power is in office at the time, the other power is going to want to push back and say that we need to redistrict to get more of our people power.”
Nurrenbern and other Democrats say the fight may now shift from the courts to the ballot box. She said hundreds of thousands of Missourians have signed a petition supporting a referendum that would let voters decide whether to keep the new congressional maps.
“I am confident that enough signatures have been gathered to place that issue on the ballot,” Nurrenbern said. “And I am confident that Missouri voters are going to say no to the highly rigged, gerrymandered map.”
The referendum effort is being led by the group People Not Politicians, which says it has submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for a statewide vote. However, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins — a supporter of the redrawn maps — has not yet certified the measure.
If the referendum is approved for the ballot, Missouri voters could see it in November’s general election.
