KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A recent federal court ruling is bringing up redistricting conversations around the country.
On Tuesday, federal judges blocked Texas from using its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 midterm election.
The ruling raises questions for Missourians, especially those living in U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver’s 5th district.
KCTV sat down with Abigail Vegter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science at William Jewell College, to get a closer look at what the recent ruling could mean for those living in the Show-Me State.
Vegter says the Texas decision has major implications in the nation’s national redistricting battle.
FILE – Protesters gather in the rotunda outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol as lawmakers debate a redrawn U.S. congressional map in Texas during a special session, Aug. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)(Eric Gay | AP)
“We’ve already seen kind of some major legal challenges to this Missouri redistrict map that we obviously drew and passed this year,” said Vegter.
She says the four lawsuits challenging Missouri’s new congressional map argue the same reasoning as the Texas lawsuits.
“The plaintiffs argue, it (Missouri’s new congressional map) kind of dilutes the black and urban representation,” said Vegter.
Vegter believes the Texas ruling may embolden plaintiffs in Missouri.
“It kind of sets a recent precedent that courts may really scrutinize these mid-decade redistricting efforts, especially when there’s a racial or representational equity concern,” said Vegter.
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Along with this, a potential referendum puts more possibilities on the table.
“We have had sufficient signatures to kind of put this Missouri map on the ballot, and so this kind of adds an additional political check, even if we don’t see courts block this Missouri,” said Vegter.
Vegter says that at the end of the day, the courts will decide on the outcome of gerrymandered maps.
“These maps are going to draw significant scrutiny, and our judicial system is going to be the ones to kind of resolve these conflicts happening across the country when it comes to these gerrymandered maps,” said Vegter.
She has a message for Kansas Citians as the 2026 midterm elections draw nearer.
“(A) referendum could delay or block the map from taking effect, and we may not even see these lawsuits to be necessary, essentially,” said Vegter.
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