Missouri's redistricting fight in turmoil as U.S. Missouri's legal fight over a congressional map was thrown into chaos on Tuesday after two distinctly different federal court rulings.
U.S. Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh denied a last-minute bid from Missouri Republicans to overrule a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that barred election officials from using a 2025 congressional map aimed at ousting Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. The state's high court ruled that People Not Politicians' referendum must go on the November ballot, and therefore the 2022 lines with a district that Cleaver is guaranteed to win will be in effect.
But minutes after Kavanaugh denied that move, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order in a separate lawsuit involving two congressional candidates barring Secretary of State Denny Hoskins from "implementing, using, publishing, distributing, or mandating the use of any congressional map other than the [2025 plan] for the Nov. 3 election."
Clark's decision, which will almost certainly be appealed, brought about sharply different reactions from Missouri Republicans and opponents of the redistricting push.
Hoskins and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway both released statements saying that the 2025 map will be used in the November elections.
"This victory halts a full-on constitutional crisis," Hoskins said in a statement. "It ensures the candidates Missourians nominated in the August primary election are the same candidates running in the same congressional districts they will vote on in the November general election."
People Not Politicians attorney Chuck Hatfield, though, said that Clark didn't overrule the Missouri Supreme Court ruling from last Thursday that bars elections officials from using the 2025 map in the fall.
"The Missouri Supreme Court has said that the [2025 map] is not the law and has never been the law and you may not use it," Hatfield said. "Judge Clark does not say that you must use [the 2025 map], because he can't overrule the Missouri Supreme Court. So where we are is the Missouri Supreme Court says 'you're enjoined from [the 2025 map] and Judge Clark's TRO says … don't use anything else either."
This story is developing and will be updated.
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