Rudi Keller
Rudi Keller covers the state budget, energy and the legislature for the Missouri Independent. He’s spent 22 of his 30 years in journalism covering Missouri government and politics, most recently as the news editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune. Keller has won awards for spot news and investigative reporting.
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Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is appealing the order to use the same congressional maps as 2024 to the U.S. Supreme Court. State law sets Tuesday as the deadline for changes to the Nov. 3 ballot. -
Missouri's highest court will hear arguments Wednesday over whether voters can challenge the congressional map, with decades of constitutional rulings offering clues to how the judges may approach the case. Republicans have prevailed in every case around gerrymandering so far. -
The state's highest court will hear arguments over two consequential initiatives on Sept. 2, just days before the deadline to finalize the November ballot. A circuit court judge ruled both proposals were unconstitutional. -
Delivering his decision just a few hours after conducting a trial, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled that the Missouri Constitution does not allow referendums on congressional redistricting. However, the Missouri Supreme Court will likely be the final say in the case. -
Trials this week will determine whether Amendment 6, which would limit legislative changes to voter-passed initiatives, and a referendum on Missouri’s congressional map will reach the Nov. 3 ballot. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected both as unconstitutional. -
The coalition of labor and progressive says it will target Republican lawmakers who helped repeal voter-approved paid sick leave. The money is just a fraction of the eventual total that will be spent to influence the 145 Missouri General Assembly races between both major parties on the November ballot. -
Both of the cases are moving quickly because Missouri law sets a Sept. 8 deadline for court orders adding questions to the November ballot. -
With an early September cutoff for changes to the Missouri ballot, the chief justice asked for "sufficient time for expedited appellate review" of the complex issues. Because if the referendum is approved, it would also throw the results of the Aug. 4 primary into question. -
After landslide losses for Amendments 4 and 5, the governor is backing a high-stakes abortion measure this fall. -
Broadcast ad spending on Amendments 4 and 5 is approaching $9 million as the days run down before the Aug. 4 vote.
