Missouri Supreme Court probes Secretary of State Denny Hoskins for contempt over redistricting dispute
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
The Missouri Supreme Court ordered Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to explain why he should not be held in contempt after he continued to push a newly drawn congressional map that a lower court had barred.
The Missouri Supreme Court issued an order late Tuesday requiring Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to appear in person and justify why he should not be held in contempt for allegedly violating a recent ruling that barred the use of a newly drawn GOP-favored congressional map. The court’s directive follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected Hoskins’ last-ditch appeal to use the map, which would reduce the state’s Democratic-held seats. A federal judge in Missouri subsequently ruled that the state must use the new map, creating a conflict between federal and state courts that may return to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hoskins posted on X that he would not back down, stating, "I look forward to my day in court." The 2025 redistricting plan, promoted by Republican leaders, aimed to eliminate one of Missouri’s two Democratic-held congressional seats currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. If the state Supreme Court’s order remains, the 2022 map—six Republican and two Democratic seats—would stay in effect for the upcoming general election.
The dispute began after the activist group People Not Politicians Missouri collected signatures for a referendum to veto the legislature’s map and delay its implementation until the 2026 election. Hoskins declined to place the measure on the ballot, arguing that redistricting maps cannot be overturned by voters. The state Supreme Court, despite its Republican-appointed majority, ruled that state law does not exempt redistricting maps from voter referendums. The contempt probe was prompted by a filing from the referendum’s legal team.