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Republicans Secure Crucial Court Win Ahead of Midterms
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Republicans Secure Crucial Court Win Ahead of Midterms

A Missouri judge ruled Wednesday that the state’s redrawn congressional districts will remain in place for the November elections, rejecting an effort to force a referendum on the new map.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green sided with Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, finding that Hoskins acted lawfully when he refused to certify a petition seeking a statewide vote on the redistricting measure.

“The Secretary of State’s decision to not certify the referendum petition directed at HB 1 was lawful,” Green wrote in his decision, according to KMBC-TV. “HB 1 remains in full force and effect for the 2026 general election.”

The timing of the dispute proved important.

Missouri already used the new congressional districts during its 2026 primary elections. Green concluded that ordering the state to switch to different boundaries for the general election would run afoul of federal election law and potentially interfere with votes already cast during the primary process.

“Plaintiff’s requested relief plainly violates the right of Missouri voters to have their ballot counted,” Green wrote.

“Federal law precludes this Court from ordering the State to use a different congressional map than the one under which Missouri conducted the 2026 primary elections,” he added.

The lawsuit also raised a broader question about the referendum provisions contained in Missouri’s Constitution.


Although the state Constitution generally gives voters referendum power over actions taken by the General Assembly, Green concluded that the provision did not necessarily establish that voters could use that process to overturn congressional redistricting.

“That provision at most merely raises, but does not answer, the question whether the referendum power extends to congressional redistricting, a domain (the Missouri Constitution) and the U.S. Constitution separately and specifically assign to the General Assembly,” Green wrote, according to the Missouri Independent.

The referendum petition had gathered the required number of signatures. Green nevertheless accepted the argument that its proposed objective could not constitutionally be carried out.

Republicans celebrated the ruling.

“This is a resounding victory for Missouri voters and election integrity,” Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said.

“The court rejected Democrats’ latest scheme to overturn lawful congressional maps and create chaos ahead of the election. Missouri’s maps were fairly enacted by the legislature, upheld in court, and used in this year’s primary election. Today’s ruling makes clear those maps will stand,” he added.

Attorney John Gore, who represented the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Missouri Republican State Committee, had argued that changing the map after the primary would create serious problems for voters.

“It’s difficult to imagine any kind of judicial order that would cause more widespread voter confusion or erosion in confidence in the integrity of this state’s elections than the relief plaintiff seeks,” Gore said.

Written by Arthur Higgens - August 21, 2026