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Denny Hoskins requests U.S. Supreme Court to block Missouri ruling on congressional redistricting map

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily block a Missouri Supreme Court ruling regarding the state's congressional map. The state supreme court ruled that the new congressional map, known as HB 1, never legally took effect because a referendum petition with over 300,000 signatures was valid. This ruling allows a referendum on the new map to go onto the November ballot, meaning the 2022 map will be used for the upcoming election unless voters approve the new map. Denny Hoskins argued that the state supreme court's decision violates the U.S. Constitution's elections clause, which he believes gives state legislatures the power to prescribe the times, places, and manner of federal elections. He also claimed the ruling disenfranchises voters by forcing them to vote for candidates they did not help nominate in the primary. Opponents of the new map, led by Richard von Glahn, argued that the U.S. Supreme Court lacks the jurisdiction to review the case because the ruling was based on state constitutional grounds. Von Glahn stated that the Missouri Supreme Court's decision was a legal status quo, and the 2022 map remains the legal status quo until a referendum is approved. The request for a stay is supported by an amicus brief from Florida and Texas, along with 18 other states with Republican Attorneys General. These states argue that changing the map now could lead to voter confusion and that courts should not make drastic changes to voting rules close to an election.

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