Four Lawsuits Challenge Missouri’s Mid-Cycle Redistricting as Unconstitutional

Four separate lawsuits have been filed against Missouri’s new congressional map, signed into law Sept. 29 by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Opponents argue the mid-cycle redistricting violates the state constitution, dismantles long-standing compact districts, and disenfranchises Democratic voters.

The most recent lawsuit, filed in Jackson County on behalf of voters by the National Redistricting Foundation, contends that lawmakers lack authority to redraw congressional lines outside of the regular 10-year census cycle. It also challenges the legality of districts that stretch for hundreds of miles and split Kansas City into multiple pieces.

“Missouri’s mid-decade gerrymander is in clear violation of the state constitution,” said Marina Jenkins, the foundation’s executive director. “It was not prompted by the law or a court order; it was the result of Republican lawmakers in Missouri following partisan directives from politicians in Washington, D.C.”

The Four Lawsuits

1. National Redistricting Foundation (Sept. 29, Jackson County)
   
   • Argues mid-cycle redistricting is unconstitutional.
     
   • Challenges the split of Kansas City into three districts, with downtown tied to areas as far away as Rolla and Fort Leonard Wood, nearly 200 miles from the city.
     
   • Notes compactness standards were “violated on nearly every level.”
     
2. Missouri NAACP (Filed earlier, Cole County)
   
   • Contends Gov. Kehoe had no authority to call lawmakers into special session for redistricting or for altering initiative petition requirements.
     
   • Judge Christopher Limbaugh heard arguments in the case Sept. 15.
     
3. Jackson County Lawsuit (Sept. 12)
   
   • Echoes concerns over compactness.
     
   • Points out a technical flaw: one precinct allegedly placed in two separate districts.
     
4. Cole County Lawsuit (Sept. 12)
   
   • Centers on the same constitutional argument: redistricting can occur only after census data are delivered.
     
   • Notes the only precedent for mid-cycle changes came in the 1960s after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling required states to equalize populations.
     

Impact on the 5th District

The new map targets Kansas City’s 5th District, long represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. Since 2005, Cleaver has held the seat covering Jackson and Clay counties. The redrawn lines break apart neighborhoods that have been kept whole for more than 50 years.

Kansas City’s central business district is now split among the 4th, 5th, and 6th districts, tying parts of the city to distant communities across Missouri. Critics argue this violates constitutional standards requiring compact, contiguous districts that preserve “communities of interest.”

Political Stakes

Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats. The new map is designed to give the party a seventh seat, leaving Democrats with only one. Although Democratic candidates receive about 40% of the statewide vote, they would control just 12.5% of congressional representation if the new map stands.

Kehoe, who acknowledged the courts will ultimately decide the map’s fate, defended his decision to sign the bill.

“We believe this map best represents Missourians,” he said in a statement, crediting support from legislators, the state’s congressional delegation, and former President Donald Trump.

Opponents say the move is nakedly partisan. “Every redistricting plan since the 1950s has placed as much of Kansas City as possible in a single district,” the Jackson County lawsuit states. Splitting the city three ways, plaintiffs argue, destroys fair representation.

Next Steps

The law is scheduled to take effect Dec. 11, in time for the 2026 candidate filing period, unless blocked by the courts or overturned through a referendum petition. With all four lawsuits in motion, the ultimate shape of Missouri’s congressional map may rest with the judiciary.