Gov. Mike Kehoe, R-Missouri, did have the authority to call last fall’s special legislative session on the state’s new congressional map, according to a Cole County judge.
The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP had filed suit, claiming that the September special session did not qualify as an “extraordinary” occasion, as required by the State Constitution. But Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh disagreed in a ruling issued Friday.
The so-called “Missouri First” map redraws the state’s congressional boundaries with the intent of enabling Republicans to hold seven of the state’s eight seats in the U.S. House.
Currently, Republicans hold six of Missouri’s House seats and Democrats two.
If the new map survives all court challenges, it would dilute the current Democratic stronghold made up by the 5th Congressional District, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City.
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