Missouri Secretary of State

The proposed class action is the third lawsuit filed against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in less than a week. It's seeking damages for voters who cast August primary ballots in congressional districts different than in November, arguing that Hoskins deliberately delayed ruling on a referendum challenging the map.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins wants the 8th Circuit Court to restore the redrawn, GOP-favoring congressional districts and toss out the ballot referendum challenging the map. But county clerks argued that any more changes to the November election would require delays, massive costs and voter confusion.

The legal back-and-forth over Missouri's congressional maps is unprecedented in American politics. Current 5th District U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and his Republican opponent, state Sen. Rick Brattin, share their thoughts on what transpired in the courts — and what it may mean for November.

The lawsuit accuses Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of trying to influence elections and conspiring to make up a whistleblower complaint. Another lawsuit filed against Hoskins accuses him of breaking state law in his actions around the congressional map referendum.

At the center of the case is a Missouri law that says the secretary of state must pay between $100 and $500 to an aggrieved person if the officeholder “neglect[s] or refuse[s] to perform any of the duties enjoined on him by law."

Missouri's Secretary of State informed local election authorities on Thursday to use the 2022 map, a reversal of his previous directions to election clerks.

The U.S. Supreme Court has halted a temporary restraining order issued this week that only allowed Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use a Trump-backed map lawmakers drew in 2025.

The GOP statewide official is slated to face contempt charges for violating a Missouri Supreme Court order not to use a Trump-backed congressional map from 2025.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said she can't make a decision yet on which maps to use, or she risks the same sort of contempt hearing Secretary of State Denny Hoskins currently faces.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark's last-minute order temporarily prevents Secretary of State Denny Hoskins from using any map other than the one passed in 2025 — a move that will almost certainly be appealed.

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.

The Missouri Supreme Court's ruling means the congressional map from 2022 will be in place for the November general election, giving longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II a stronger chance to keep his seat.