In a 4-3 decision the Missouri Supreme Court ruled today that it was constitutional for Missouri lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional districts in 2025 using the same census data used to draw different districts in 2022.
The ruling affirmed the December ruling by Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh, that found the Missouri General Assembly acted within its constitutional authority in its mid-decade redistricting effort, which was led by President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, brought by Cole County residents against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, claimed that it was unconstitutional for the legislature to draw different districts using the same U.S. census information, but the court ruled that the law obligates the legislature to draw congressional districts when the United States census is certified to the governor, but its plain language does not expressly limit the legislature’s power to redistrict more frequently than once per decade.