Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City
JEFFERSON CITY -- A federal judge will let the Missouri Supreme Court have a contempt hearing Thursday for Secretary of State Denny Hoskins as the legal fight over a new congressional map continues.
The state Supreme Court previously told Hoskins not to use the new map supported by President Donald Trump, instead opting for the one created after the last census. U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark on Tuesday, however, ordered Hoskins to use the new map instead.
Then, the state Supreme Court ordered Hoskins to appear for a contempt hearing after he told local election authorities to use the new Trump-backed maps. Hoskins’ attorneys asked to have the contempt hearing stopped, but Clark refused to do so.
All of this is happening in Missouri as the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to consider a request to stop Clark’s order supporting the new maps.
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AfAfredistricting opponents collected hundreds of thousands of signatures seeking to force a statewide vote on the new districts last year, Hoskins waited until the day of the August primary to refuse that petition. That delay allowed Missouri to use the new map in the primary.
Republican say it would violate voters’ federal rights to switch maps before the general election, even after the state Supreme Court ordered Hoskins to put a redistricting referendum on the November general election ballot, which he did.
On Wednesday, the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to overturn a federal judge’s order requiring Missouri to use the new congressional districts for the general election. Redistricting opponents promptly appealed that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The new appeal follows conflicting rulings from state and federal courts over whether Missouri should use the map passed by Republican lawmakers last year or the map adopted after the 2020 census.
The dispute stems from a mid-decade redistricting effort launched after President Donald Trump encouraged Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 elections.
Missouri lawmakers approved a map intended to help Republicans win seven of the state’s eight U.S. House seats, according to the Associated Press.
The plan particularly affected the 5th Congressional District, represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City.
The new boundaries reassigned portions of Kansas City to neighboring Republican-held districts and extended the remaining 5th District into rural Republican areas.
