Missouri court allows new Trump-backed U.S. House districts to be used in November election

Key Points:

• A Missouri judge ruled that new U.S. House districts favored by President Trump can be used in the November elections, denying a petition to put the districts to a statewide referendum.
• The judge agreed with the Republican Secretary of State that Missouri’s Constitution does not allow a referendum on congressional redistricting, a decision now set to be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
• The redistricting map, pushed by Republicans, aims to weaken Democratic incumbent Emanuel Cleaver’s hold on the 5th Congressional District by redrawing boundaries to include more Republican-leaning areas.
• Republicans argued that changing districts after the August primaries would cause voter confusion and violate federal law, a position upheld by the judge.
• Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting is part of a larger national effort by Republicans to redraw maps in multiple states to gain House seats ahead of the midterms, despite historical trends and President Trump’s low approval ratings potentially complicating their goals.