Missouri Court Upholds Mid-Decade Redistricting

Jefferson City, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Tuesday that state lawmakers may redraw congressional districts more frequently than once a decade, upholding a 2025 plan that shifts boundaries in the Kansas City area to give Republicans a stronger position in the 2026 midterm elections.

The decision clears the way for a new map, approved last year by the Republican-controlled legislature, that reconfigures the 5th Congressional District currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Under the previous boundaries, drawn after the 2020 census in 2022, Missouri's eight House seats were split 6-2 in favor of Republicans. The updated map effectively divides Cleaver's urban district, incorporating parts of Kansas City into two neighboring areas while extending the rest into rural, Republican-leaning territories. This change aims to create a 7-1 Republican advantage, with six Republicans already filing to run in the affected seat ahead of the August primary.

In the majority opinion, Judge Zel M. Fischer wrote that the state constitution requires the General Assembly to redraw districts after each census but does not explicitly prohibit more frequent action. "The...