Amicus Brief: Von Glahn v. Hoskins

After the Missouri General Assembly passed a mid-decade congressional map in 2025, the people of Missouri exercised their rights under the Missouri Constitution and collected sufficient signatures for a referendum vote on the new map. Under the Missouri Constitution, this should have paused implementation of the new map until it is voted on by the people, but Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify the referendum petition. A Missouri voter sued, a state trial court ruled in favor of the secretary, and the voter appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.

On August 25, 2026, CLC, alongside ACLU and ACLU of Missouri, filed an amicus brief correcting the trial court's egregious misreading of the federal Elections Clause and the Guarantee Clause. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Elections Clause gives authority for legislation on redistricting to the state’s lawmaking power in whatever form the state constitution prescribes — including the People’s right to referendum explicitly protected in the Missouri Constitution.