The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the a new Republican-drawn congressional map cannot be used in this year’s midterm elections.The court ruled that a referendum that will determine whether the state can use the map going forward must appear on the November ballot, meaning the Missouri’s election will take place under its previous district lines.The new map was designed to draw one of the two Missouri Democrats in Congress, longtime Rep.Emanuel Cleaver, out of his seat.
The ruling comes after a protracted battle between advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri, who sought to block the Republican redistricting effort, and the state GOP leaders who defended it.Missouri redrew its congressional map in 2025 at the behest of President Donald Trump.In response, People Not Politicians Missouri gathered more than 300,000 signatures to force a veto referendum.
And while the group exceeded the signature requirements for getting on the ballot, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify it, saying that it was unconstitutional.The group appealed to the state Supreme Court, who heard arguments on the matter on Wednesday.
The ruling comes just days before the state’s Sept.8 deadline to finalize its ballot for the general election.
The state ran its August primary election on the Republican-drawn map.ShareAdd to GoogleJane C.TimmJane C.
Timm is a senior reporter for NBC News.Raquel Coronell UribeRaquel Coronell Uribe is a politics reporter for NBC News.Ben Kamisar contributed....