Escalation: Judge Daniel Green affirms Hoskins' denial
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green upheld Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ refusal to certify a referendum on Missouri’s congressional map. Green wrote that the Missouri Constitution’s general power for citizens to force votes on “any act” does not extend to congressional redistricting, which state and federal constitutions assign to the Legislature.
He also found the map could not be suspended so close to the Nov. 3 congressional election without risking the ability to hold a valid election. If a referendum were allowed, it would pause the new law and revert district lines to those used in 2022 and 2024, leaving voters with one set of districts in the August primaries and another in November.
The decision keeps the 2025 map in effect for now. The campaign seeking the vote, People Not Politicians, had submitted more than 305,000 signatures, but the judge ruled the petition aimed at an outcome the constitution does not permit.
Synthesized from 13 sources
The Kansas City StarMissouri IndependentMissourinetSTLPRKFVS12FOX4KC.comKOMU 8New York TimesEconomic TimesPBS.orgLos Angeles TimesThe HillMissouriindependent
AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources
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