Republican efforts to redraw the lines of Missouri’s congressional districts won a victory Thursday as a judge ruled the way they were drawn does not violate the state’s constitution.
As noted by The Hill, the map, if it survives all court challenges, would give Missouri up to seven Republican-leaning districts while two districts lean toward Democrats.
The current map has six GOP-leaning districts and three leaning toward the Democratic Party.
The major change in the map is the new 5th District, which has sent Democrat Emmanuel Cleaver to Congress for the past two decades, according to The Hill.
Jackson County Circuit Judge Adam Caine said that the argument against the changes boils down to a claim that rural voters and urban Kansas City voters should not be in the same district, according to the Associated Press.
Caine said the concept is nothing new, noting that from 2012 to 2020, parts of Kansas City’s business district were combined with rural areas outside of the city.
“The decision of what municipalities to split is a political and policy determination that is properly left in the hands of the General Assembly and Missouri’s political processes,” Caine wrote.
Rep. Mark Alford, a Republican from Missouri, said there was no doubt the state could do what it did.
“Does the state legislature and the Governor have the authority outside of the census every ten years to redraw maps? I clearly think they do,” he said, according to WDAF-TV.
“Lastly, under the U.S. Constitution, it’s up to the state legislatures to set the time, place, and manner of elections. And this has to do with that,” he added.
“Today’s decision is consistent with what we have seen from the Supreme Court and from state courts around the country, that congressional districts can be adjusted as the people and their elected representatives see fit, more than once in a decade if needed,” Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Republican, said in a statement.
Just In: Circuit court judge from Missouri upholds the new congressional map in the state
Old Map:
🔴 Republicans: 6
🔵 Democrats: 2New Map:
🔴 Republicans: 7 (+1)
🔵 Democrats: 1 (-1) pic.twitter.com/hhsJcN4cr6— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) March 12, 2026
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said the ruling was a victory, according to KCTV.
“This ruling is a complete victory for Missouri and for the people’s elected representatives,” she said.
“Thanks the hard work of our legal team, the Missouri FIRST Map stands, the rule of law is vindicated, and Missouri voters can have confidence that their legislature’s work has been upheld,” she said.
Despite the ruling, the redistricting effort is not home free.
The Missouri Supreme Court has heard arguments for a separate lawsuit over whether the state’s constitution allows a map to be adjusted in the middle of a decade.
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