Court ruling looms over Missouri's congressional map
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Kansas City's proposed districts. Maps: Gov. Mike Kehoe's office
A judge will decide whether Missouri's 2025 congressional map, which splits Kansas City into three districts, violates the state constitution.
Why it matters: The map will shape Missouri's 2026 midterm elections and could affect the partisan balance of the state's congressional delegation.
Zoom in: The case, Healey v. Missouri, challenges House Bill 1, which Gov. Mike Kehoe signed during a special session to redraw Missouri's congressional districts and divide KC.
- The lawsuit says Missouri can redraw congressional districts only after a new U.S. census is certified, a once-a-decade process. Plaintiffs argue lawmakers acted outside that timeline in 2025.
- They are asking the court to block the map from being used in future elections.
Between the lines: The Missouri Constitution requires congressional districts to be compact and contiguous. Courts have said districts must form "closely united territory."
- Plaintiffs say the new map is not as compact as required and argue Missouri's 4th, 5th and 6th congressional districts now stretch more than 200 miles, dividing long-established KC neighborhoods.
What they're saying: "The new gerrymander undermines representation for rural and urban communities by forcing these very different communities into districts that stretch hundreds of miles across the state," National Redistricting Foundation executive director Marina Jenkins said in a press briefing Thursday.
The other side: Republican state leaders have defended the Legislature's authority to redraw the map during a special session.
- A Cole County judge ruled earlier this month that Gov. Mike Kehoe had constitutional authority to call the special session.
- That decision did not address whether the congressional map violates the compactness requirement.
What's next: Congressional candidate filings begin Feb. 24, increasing pressure for a clear answer on which district lines will be used.
- Jenkins said courts have the authority to adjust filing timelines if necessary.
What we're watching: Separately, a political organization called People Not Politicians submitted roughly 300,000 signatures seeking a veto referendum that would let voters decide in November 2026 whether to repeal the map.
- The secretary of state must verify those signatures before the measure can qualify for the ballot, and separate lawsuits are challenging aspects of that process.