JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Washington Insider Magazine) – With the state’s Republican-led Legislation still divided on redistricting, Missouri is now facing lawsuits in state and federal court, seeking the courts to intervene and establish a new United States House map before the primary election this summer.
Republican congressional contender Paul Berry III, who brought the latest suit in federal courtroom early Wednesday, claimed the ongoing ambiguity about Missouri’s congressional seats is hampering his campaigning efforts.
Despite having command of the Missouri Senate, House, and governor’s desk, Republicans have yet to reach an agreement on a definitive plan to redesign the state’s 8 US House districts in light of the 2020 census. According to ABC NEWS, Missouri seems to be the only state that has not enacted a redistricting plan, while there are still questions in numerous other states.
In New Hampshire, legislators are still working on a map which would please Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who has threatened to reject their initial proposal. A House panel supported a fresh plan on Wednesday, despite Sununu’s initial opposition.
New York’s top court on Wednesday dismissed proposed congressional districts which it claimed were planned to favor Democratic state legislators, instead referring the matter to a special court judge for a new map. A Kansas judge on Monday invalidated legislative districts created by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature, however an appeal is inevitable.
Florida, where Republican Governor Ron DeSantis just signed a plan into legislation that might help GOP candidates gain many more seats, is another state where judicial challenges are underway.
Different congressional redistricting proposals were authorized by the Missouri Senate and House early this year. The Senate measure was defeated in the House, and the Senate has declined to call a bipartisan conference panel to formally discuss a solution.
Republicans in Missouri are divided on how actively to design districts in their favor and which areas to separate while keeping district populations balanced. One topic of contention is how to design the state’s most contested seat, the second District in suburban St. Louis. In that district, Berry is among 3 Republicans fighting Republican Rep. Ann Wagner. She is also up against a number of Democratic challengers as well as a Libertarian candidate.
Republican state Senator Andrew Koenig, the architect of the Senate’s redistricting proposal, revealed Wednesday that he talked with House Speaker Rob Vescovo about redistricting, but the 2 chambers are still “pretty far apart.”
In their annual session, legislators have until May 13 to pass laws.
The redistricting challenges will be heard in federal court in St. Louis on May 9 and in the state’s Cole County Circuit Court on May 23.
All of the complaints argue that holding Missouri’s primary on Aug. 2 in districts predicated on the 2010 census is illegal since the districts no longer possess equal demographics. Berry’s complaint requests that the court mandate a new map.
A Democratic-backed state lawsuit seeks a court to force the Legislature to approve a new House map, while a Republican-backed state lawsuit asks a court to order the Legislature to pass a new plan and reopen candidacy filing.
