Missouri Court Upholds GOP's Midterm Map Boost

0:00It's March 24th. Welcome to Kansas News Today, powered by AI. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled four to three on Tuesday to uphold a new congressional map drawn by Republicans midway through the decade. This plan boosts their odds of picking up an extra U.S. house seat in the upcoming midterms. President Trump pushed for the change last fall, right after similar moves in Texas. The redrawn lines in Missouri target a Kansas City district held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver by shifting urban areas into neighboring seats and extending it into rural Republican strongholds. Right now, Missouri sent six Republicans and two Democrats to the house. Opponents say the state constitution limits redistricting to right after a census, but the court found no clear ban on doing it more often. Still, more than 300,000 petition signatures aim to force a statewide vote on the map. A lower court just tossed out claims that the districts are not compact enough, though that's now headed to appeal at the state Supreme Court.

1:01Meanwhile, states like North Carolina and Ohio have made similar pro-Republican tweaks. This fits into a bigger national push pull on maps, with California voters favoring Democrats and Utah courts stepping in against gerrymandering, keeping the house battle tight as elections near.