Overview
- Jackson County Circuit Judge Adam Caine denied a bid to block the Missouri FIRST congressional map, ruling opponents failed to show it was not as compact as possible under the state constitution.
- The court found the 2025 plan falls within historical compactness measures and reduces splits compared with the 2022 map, dropping county splits from nine to five and municipal splits from 30 to 13.
- A technical claim over a duplicated precinct identifier (VTD 811) was rejected after the court noted each area carries a unique GEOID that correctly assigns voters to districts.
- Plaintiffs including the Campaign Legal Center and the ACLU affiliates said they will appeal, while a separate challenge to mid‑decade redistricting authority is pending before the Missouri Supreme Court, which heard arguments this week.
- The map, enacted in a September 2025 special session and backed by President Donald Trump, reconfigures the Kansas City‑area 5th District in a bid to improve Republicans’ chances of gaining a seventh U.S. House seat; Attorney General Catherine Hanaway praised the ruling.