Case Summary
LWVMO filed an amicus brief in the Missouri Supreme Court supporting challengers to a lawsuit against a mid-decade gerrymander of the state’s congressional districts. After President Trump ordered Texas to draw five additional Republican congressional districts, Missouri followed suit, and the legislature enacted a map that split Kansas City into three districts, eliminating a district held by Democratic Representative Emmanuel Cleaver.
In the summer of 2025, President Trump ordered Texas to redraw its congressional districts to create five additional Republican seats. Litigation and retaliatory mid-decade redistricting soon ensued in numerous states.
Missouri was among the states that complied with President Trump’s demand. The Republican-controlled legislature proceeded to redraw the congressional districts, with the Fifth Congressional District, composed of heavily Democratic-leaning Kansas City, divided into multiple districts snaking into rural areas, designed to ensure that Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver could not win reelection and ensuring Republicans would control six out of seven of the state’s congressional districts.
On September 12, 2025, several plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, arguing the new maps violated the Missouri Constitution. First, the plaintiffs alleged the state constitution forbids mid-decade redistricting of congressional districts. Second, the plaintiffs asserted that, in violation of Article 3, Section 45 of the state constitution, the districts were not compact shapes. Finally, the plaintiffs argued that two districts were not contiguous because a precinct had been assigned to both. The plaintiffs asked the court to declare the newly gerrymandered maps unconstitutional and require the state to use the previous districts as the state’s congressional map.
On March 12, 2026, the state trial court ruled against the plaintiffs, holding that mid-decade gerrymandering did not violate the Missouri Constitution. The court’s ruling stated that the decision to split up Kansas City was a political decision that the courts should defer to, and that the plaintiffs had failed to meet their burden that the legislature had violated the compactness requirements for redistricting. Finally, the court ruled that the contiguity claims were not problematic because the secretary of state could assign the precinct at issue to the correct district. Plaintiffs appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court and asked for the case to be expedited. On April 16, 2026, the plaintiffs filed their opening brief in the Missouri Supreme Court.
On April 17, 2026, the League of Women Voters of Missouri (“LWVMO”) filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in the state supreme court. The brief argued that Section 45 of the state constitution was intended to prevent partisan gerrymandering, and that the context behind the new congressional map showed it was a partisan gerrymander. Finally, the brief asserted the new congressional districts were gerrymandered in violation of the Missouri Constitution’s protections for popular sovereignty.
LWVMO was represented in this matter by Professor Steven Alagna.
LWV Timeline
Plaintiffs file lawsuit
Several voters file a lawsuit asserting Missouri’s new mid-decade gerrymander violates multiple provisions of the Missouri state constitution.
State trial court upholds gerrymander
The state trial court upholds the gerrymander, ruling the legislature did not violate the state constitution when it redrew congressional districts.
Plaintiffs appeal
The plaintiffs file their opening brief in the Missouri Supreme Court and ask it to reverse the trial court’s ruling. The brief asserts the lower court made several errors, including misapplying the law on compact districts, evidence of alternative maps, and precedent on communities of interest.
LWVMO files amicus brief
LWVMO files its amicus brief, stating the state trial court decision wrong, and requests the state supreme court to reverse the trial court’s decision.
Missouri Supreme Court affirms trial court decision
The Missouri Supreme Court affirms the trial court ruling, declaring that the lower court did not make reversible errors in its decision, allowing the new gerrymander to take effect for the 2026 elections.