Federal judge rejects Missouri AG’s attempt to block anti-gerrymandering campaign
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Judge Bluestone dismissed Missouri AG Hanaway's federal suit on jurisdiction.
- Dismissal lets People Not Politicians proceed with signature turn-in for referendum.
- Parallel state lawsuits and a Cole County signature challenge could block the effort.
A federal judge on Monday rejected Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s attempt to block a campaign seeking to strike down the state’s gerrymandered congressional map.
U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone ruled that he lacked jurisdiction over a lawsuit filed by Hanaway, a Republican, that argued state lawmakers had the exclusive authority to redraw Missouri’s congressional districts.
The dismissal marked a win for supporters of a referendum campaign, called People Not Politicians, pursuing a statewide vote to repeal the map. The campaign was poised to turn in hundreds of thousands of signatures Tuesday morning to force a vote next year.
Hanaway’s federal lawsuit was part of a prolonged effort by Missouri Republicans to halt the referendum. The campaign has faced a series of attacks, including from state officials and a political action committee backed by national Republican organizations.
Richard Von Glahn, the campaign’s executive director, championed the ruling as a win for democracy in a statement to The Star Monday evening, saying that the campaign would press forward with the referendum.
“Today’s dismissal is a decisive rejection of politicians trying to weaponize the courts to protect their own power,” Von Glahn said.
A spokesperson for Hanaway’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hanaway filed the suit on behalf of Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and the General Assembly.
In addition to rejecting the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds, Bluestone also found that the allegations in Hanaway’s legal action were premature. Hoskins, as secretary of state, still has the power to reject the campaign on similar grounds, rendering the lawsuit moot.
Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the campaign, said in an email to The Star that his clients believe Bluestone “got it right” and that Hanaway should not have filed the case in federal court.
“My clients can now get on with the process the Secretary of State attempted to short circuit,” Hatfield said. “My clients will continue to exercise their freedom of speech and expect to turn in signatures this week.”
The federal ruling came the same day as a trial in a separate case related to the referendum. In that case, a Cole County judge will decide whether roughly 90,000 signatures will be valid, a key ruling that could determine the success of the overall effort.
The flurry of legal actions come after a chaotic fall in which state lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional districts. The unprecedented effort came under pressure from President Donald Trump, who wants to ensure GOP control of Congress.
The map signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe splits Kansas City-area voters into three Republican-leaning districts in the hopes of pushing out Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 10:32 AM.
