Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. The Missouri midterms are turning out to be a real circus, with back-to-back court orders on Tuesday throwing the state’s plans into chaos. A federal district court ordered Missouri to proceed with a congressional map that would benefit the Republican Party, just minutes after the US Supreme Court shot down an emergency appeal from GOP officials in the state. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up – the courts are basically playing a game of ping-pong with Missouri’s congressional map.
It seems that US District Judge Stephen Clark handed down a temporary order requiring the state to proceed under a map created last year that targets a Democratic district based in Kansas City. This decision came after Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied a request from Missouri Republicans to use that same map. I’m no lawyer, but it sounds like the courts are trying to figure out how to make this work with less than two months before Election Day.
The groups challenging Missouri’s maps have quickly appealed and begun filing a series of emergency motions in an effort to pause Clark’s order. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said that the state was “prepared to follow and comply” with the newer, lower court decision. Time is of the essence, since the state was set to finalize its ballots for the November election on Tuesday evening. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the state was trying to use a map that would give Republicans another seat – bless their hearts.
The Supreme Court’s ruling was the first of several quick-turn election cases the court is expected to decide in the coming days, just weeks before the midterms. The justices are mulling a far more significant case dealing with President Donald Trump’s effort to change how mail ballots are sent to voters. And earlier Tuesday, the Trump administration asked the high court to reinstate a controversial citizenship records system his administration has sought to wield for sweeping reviews of state voter rolls. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’ve got a whole slew of election cases to keep track of.
Missouri moved to the 7-1 Republican map under pressure from Trump, who has inspired an unusual mid-decade redistricting war in Republican and Democratic states. Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, the group that challenged Missouri’s map, said after the Supreme Court decision, “Today the law won. The Missouri constitution is clear as was the Missouri Supreme Court.” I’m not sure what’s more surprising – the fact that the law won, or that someone actually said that with a straight face.
The 6-3 conservative US Supreme Court has played a significant role in shaping the outcome of this year’s midterms. The court’s landmark decision earlier this year gutting a significant part of the Voting Rights Act led to new redistricting in several Republican states in the South. Meanwhile, the court allowed Texas to use a Republican-friendly map and permitted California to use a map that benefits Democrats. It’s enough to make your head spin, folks.
In conclusion, the Missouri midterms are a hot mess, and it’s anyone’s guess how this will all play out. With the courts playing ping-pong with the congressional map, it’s a wonder anyone can keep track of what’s going on. As I always say, you can’t make this stuff up – and I’m just glad I’ve got my coffee to get me through it all. And who knows, maybe by the time the elections roll around, we’ll have a map that everyone can agree on – but I wouldn’t count on it, folks. 😂
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
