Ashley Aune

Missouri state Rep. Jeremy Dean of Springfield sent the text message on Sept. 4 to Republican state Rep. Cecelie Williams of Dittmer, during debates over a bill making it harder for voters to amend the state constitution. The message included a description of an oral sex act with the president.

The special session featured a number of unprecedented actions that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, when President Trump demanded that Republican leaders redraw the state's congressional lines.

The GOP-dominated Missouri House easily passed legislation Monday night to gerrymander the state's congressional districts. It would link urban areas of Kansas City with rural counties more than 250 miles away.

Missouri Democrats have accused their GOP colleagues of kowtowing to President Donald Trump, who is pressuring Republican-led states to redraw their maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The proposed map would split Kansas City, diluting votes from the 5th Congressional District and spreading them around the 4th and 6th districts. During the special session, legislators also will consider changes to Missouri's initiative petition process.

Missouri Republican lawmakers seem to have all the leverage to gerrymander congressional districts in September, with the explicitly partisan aim of making it difficult for Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win reelection. But if they succeed, it could unleash a torrent of legal and political consequences.

In a little more than a week, the idea of redrawing Missouri’s congressional district lines has gained momentum among Republicans — with the explicitly partisan purpose of watering down Democratic voting power in the Kansas City-area 5th District, and forcing U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver out of his seat.

The Senate Freedom Caucus is demanding tax cuts in exchange for not blocking stadium funds for the Royals and Chiefs, while Democrats retaliated for slights during the regular session by derailing the routine work of signing bills. The tensions don't bode well for next week's special session.

Current law allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental permission if the other party is under 21. Proposals to ban child marriage have failed to pass the Missouri legislature for years; now it just needs the governor's signature to become law.

The proposed amendment, if passed by the Senate and approved in a statewide election, would repeal the reproductive rights measure passed by voters in November. It would allow some exceptions in the first 12 weeks of gestation, but House Speaker Jon Patterson said that doesn't go far enough to protect assault victims.

The amendment, if passed by the Senate and then voters, would repeal the abortion rights amendment currently in Missouri's constitution, which voters just approved in November. Abortions would be illegal again in Missouri, with limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.

In Missouri, pregnant women can't get a divorce unless they have a custody agreement settled. "No matter how deep the pain, the law kept me legally bound to him," state Rep. Cecelie Williams said of her attempt to divorce her abusive husband while pregnant with their fourth child.