Key facts
- A Missouri court ruled that a referendum effort to overturn Republican-drawn redistricting maps will not retroactively freeze the map.
- The ruling allows the current gerrymandered maps to remain in effect for the November elections.
- Election officials are concerned about potential chaos and the possibility of voiding primary results.
- The "Purcell Principle," which discourages federal court intervention close to elections, is a key legal argument.
- The group People Not Politicians remains optimistic about the referendum's ultimate approval by a judge.
A recent court ruling in Missouri has thwarted Democratic efforts to undo Republican-drawn redistricting maps, ensuring the current gerrymandered lines will be used for the upcoming November elections. The decision by Judge Hoskins means that a referendum petition challenging the map will not retroactively freeze its implementation.
Republicans passed the map last year, prompting multiple lawsuits from Democratic groups over its constitutionality and the legislature's authority to redraw districts mid-decade. While judges have largely sided with Republicans, the referendum sought to put the issue before voters. The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled that the law freezing a map under referendum challenge only applied if the referendum was ultimately deemed sufficient.