Missouri Asks Supreme Court to Protect Democracy From Voters

Missouri asked the U.S. Supreme Court to protect democracy from voters, returning to the justices for the third time this month in an urgent effort to let Republican lawmakers choose their electorate before the electorate carelessly chooses its lawmakers. The dispute concerns a 2025 congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that could give Republicans seven of Missouri’s eight House seats by dismantling much of Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district. The Supreme Court of Missouri unanimously ruled Sept. 3 that the map must face a statewide referendum before taking effect, adopting the radical theory that “government by the people” occasionally requires asking the people something.

A federal appeals court later ordered Missouri to use the new districts because officials had already used them during the August primary, establishing the familiar legal principle that once the government begins doing something, the Constitution becomes rude for interrupting. Opponents returned to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, noting that the justices had already blocked the map twice and that absentee voting was underway under the previous boundaries. State officials countered that changing election rules during voting is unacceptable unless the change produces seven Republican seats, in which case it is responsible calendar management.

Trump praised the map as an essential safeguard against geographical fraud. “We have the fairest map, maybe the fairest map ever drawn, because every line knows exactly which Republican it is supposed to elect,” Trump said. “The Democrats want random voters deciding elections, which is chaos, frankly, and nobody has ever seen anything like it.” Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins likewise defended the principle that citizens may select lawmakers but must never interfere with lawmakers selecting citizens. Legal experts said the case could determine whether Missouri’s Constitution guarantees a referendum or merely guarantees residents the exhilarating opportunity to approve decisions already made for them. In Missouri, democracy is now officially safe because voters have been prevented from interfering with it.

* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.