Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 20
Missouri Judge Clears New House Map for November, Blocking Referendum Before Sept. 8 Deadline
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 20

Missouri Judge Clears New House Map for November, Blocking Referendum Before Sept. 8 Deadline

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 20

Summary

  • Judge Daniel Green ruled Missouri’s newly drawn congressional map can stay in place for the November election, rejecting an effort to send the Republican-backed plan to voters statewide.
  • Green said Missouri’s Constitution does not permit a referendum on congressional redistricting and that changing districts this late would be “impossible” without disrupting the midterms.
  • People Not Politicians appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, which in March already upheld lawmakers’ authority to redraw the map outside the normal once-a-decade cycle.
  • The map is designed to flip a Democratic-held seat and could help Republicans protect their narrow U.S. House majority; any ballot challenge would have to be added by Sept. 8.

Insights

What happens to the upcoming November election if an appellate court suddenly restores the suspended voting map?
How might a century-old historical precedent from 1922 overturn this recent ruling on direct democracy?
Where exactly is the legal line drawn between a standard legislative act and exclusive constitutional authority?