Judge hears arguments in lawsuit to block Missouri’s new congressional map
Jazsmin Halliburton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Lawyers for the State and People Not Politicians met in federal court Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether a judge will block Missouri’s new congressional map.
A lawsuit filed by People Not Politicians is over a referendum to block the newly created congressional map that the group wants on next year’s ballot. The group has raised more than $1.7 million in contributions since forming and has collected more than 100,000 signatures.
The State argues that redistricting is a complicated issue that takes legislative expertise, calling the topic “an inherently technical enterprise,” in court documents.
The state added that if put onto the ballot, details of redistricting could become unclear through limited ballot language and possible influence from outside groups
“Voters would be ‘educated’ on the competing maps via dark-money-funded advertising and 100-word summary statements about each proposal,” according to court documents.
People Not Politicians argues that they have interacted with thousands of voters who are educated in redistricting and would like to have a say in legislation.
“What I was hearing was, frankly, clarity from the state about how afraid they are of voters getting the final say on this,” People Not Politicians Director Richard von Glahn said.” If you think what you did is a good thing, you have nothing to fear from a referendum, it is an opportunity to say, ‘see, the voters are with us.'”
People Not Politicians also argues that the State has no grounds to be going to federal courts for the case, since the rules being interpreted are from the Missouri Constitution, making the case a state issue.
I would argue the Constitution is quite clear, the Constitution says any act of the General Assembly is subject to the referendum, it then provides exceptions to that,” von Glahn said. “Congressional redistricting is not one of those.”
The state argues that state law is a federal question, therefore a federal case. The state also adds that referendum petitions are a state process, meaning voters are participating in state action.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a countersuit in October, stating that the referendum is unconstitutional and infringes upon lawmakers’ constitutional right to draw the congressional map.
Hanaway says in a statement that the lawsuit “is about protecting Missouri’s constitutional authority from being hijacked by out-of-state dark money groups.” Missouri Republicans have long complained that Missouri’s initiative petition process allows for groups that don’t report their donations to have an outsized impact on the process.
Federal Judge Zachary Bluestone expects to decide on the case before Dec. 9, the same day People Not Politicians expects to submit their signatures for approval. The deadline for the signatures is Dec. 11.