JEFFERSON CITY — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for the existing 2022 state congressional map to be used in the November election.
The action came in response to a federal district court judge’s ruling Tuesday that ordered Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use a gerrymandered map passed a year ago.
Hoskins followed up by ordering county clerks to use the 2025 map, acting against a Missouri Supreme Court ruling issued a week ago that the map had never been valid.
Hoskins was summoned to the state Supreme Court on Thursday morning to explain why he should not be held in contempt for ordering the 2025 map be used. But Hoskins announced during a recess that he was directing local election authorities to use Missouri’s 2022 congressional map in November.
The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately held Hoskins in contempt Thursday for violating its previous order but announced it was satisfied with his move to use the 2022 map and withheld punishment.
Hoskins maintains that his decision to change was not motivated by the threat of repercussions, but a response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier in the morning. The state high court placed a stay on the federal judge’s order, taking the federal judiciary out of the matter for now.
“The only law and directive that we have right now is from the Missouri Supreme Court, and the Missouri Supreme Court says that the 2022 map is in effect,” Hoskins said.
Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Hatfield represented Richard Von Glahn of People Not Politicians, the group that opposed the 2025 map and sought a public referendum before it could be used in an election. Hatfield said he sees the state high court’s decision as a victory.
“It’s really important today that the judiciary sort of held tight against, what I consider, an attempt by Secretary of State Hoskins to alter what is the law and has always been the law,” Hatfield said.
However, Attorney General Catharine Hanaway stipulated that, while the current situation strongly suggests the 2022 map will be used, there is still room for further litigation. Namely, she says the 2025 map could be used if the U.S. Supreme Court makes an order directing it.
The federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is remaining active in the case, ordering an emergency hearing on the issue for Sept. 17.
“It’s very confusing, almost unprecedented, even in very complicated election law history,” Hanaway said.
Before Hoskins ever appeared in court, the dispute prompted a response from 14 Republican members of the Missouri General Assembly.
The lawmakers sent a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court threatening to seek impeachment proceedings against justices if Hoskins were held in contempt. They argued the court would be disregarding federal law by enforcing its order while a conflicting federal court order was in place.
“Should Secretary Hoskins be held in contempt, we will petition the Speaker of the House and legislative leadership to begin impeachment proceedings against the responsible members of this Court for willful neglect of duty, incompetency, and misconduct under Article VII, Sections 1 and 2 of the Missouri Constitution,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Joe Nicola, Brad Hudson, Ben Brown, Jamie Burger, Curtis Trent, Rick Brattin, Adam Schnelting, Jason Bean and Jill Carter, along with Republican Reps. Jeff Myers, Chad Perkins, Mike McGirl, Bob Titus and Hardy Billington. None offered additional comment.
Notably absent from the letter’s list of supporters was Republican Rep. Bob Onder, a fierce proponent of the 2025 map. Onder’s district went through dramatic changes as a result of the change in map, losing 11 counties and gaining five. He said the map debate, at its core, is about voting rights.
“It’s not about me,” Onder said. “It’s about the voters, that 1.2 million voters, including hundreds of thousands, in my district, who are disenfranchised by what the Missouri Supreme Court has done.”
Brattin, the Republican nominee for Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, won the August primary under the 2025 map, which significantly reshaped the Kansas City-based district currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, extending it into more Republican-leaning areas.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Cleaver expressed his support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s action in favor of the 2022 map.
“A win for justice. A win for democracy. A win for the people of Missouri,” Cleaver said. “It is my hope that state officials will start following court orders and end this shameful attempt to break Missouri law and silence Missouri voters.”
House Democrats sharply criticized the letter, with House Minority Leader Ashley Aune calling it an attempt to intimidate the judicial branch and said the lawmakers could have violated state judicial tampering laws. Missouri law makes it a felony to attempt to harass, intimidate or influence a judicial officer in the performance of official duties.
However, Gov. Mike Kehoe continued to support Hoskins following Thursday’s hearing while suggesting that the legal fight over the map is not yet finished.
“While the reasoning behind today’s Missouri Supreme Court contempt hearings remain questionable, I am proud to stand behind Secretary Hoskins as he continues to serve as Missouri’s top elections authority,” Kehoe said in a statement on X.
“I look forward to the Eighth Circuit’s consideration of the merits of the Missouri First Map and remain confident in the legal process moving forward. Voters deserve certainty and clarity,” Kehoe said.
Hanaway also expressed her support for Hoskins, arguing that he was never in contempt of court.
“He wasn’t held in contempt, and he’s followed the law at every step of the way, and we’ve been proud to defend him at every step of the way, because he’s doing what he swore to do,” she told reporters.
If Missouri voters have any confusion with the altered redistricting, Brianna Lennon, Boone County Clerk, said that citizens can visit boonemo.gov under the voter lookup tool.
Columbia and Boone County are directly impacted by the map changes. During the primary election, voters north of Columbia were included in the 5th Congressional District. Now, they are reverting back to voting in the 4th Congressional District that they have voted in since 2022.
Much of southern Boone County, including areas south of Broadway in Columbia, will be voting in the 3rd Congressional District.
“We know that there is ongoing litigation in the Eighth Circuit, and they are set for oral argument on Sept. 17, and we have to send out ballots to our military and overseas voters on Sept. 18, so we will be following closely to see what the Eighth Circuit decides, but as it stands, we will be using the 2022 map as we prepare for the election,” Lennon said.