Missouri's Supreme Court may have just thrown a wrench into President Donald Trump's gerrymandering scheme, according to a new analysis.
On Tuesday, the court upheld the GOP's new map, which gives the party a 7-1 seat advantage over Democrats in the House of Representatives and could lead to the ouster of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), who represents Kansas City. However, the court tucked a little-noticed line in its ruling that Democrats could use to fight back against the map after the November election, according to a new analysis by The Kansas City Star.
In essence, the court said it is "impossible to say" whether the new map is in effect until Missouri's Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins certifies it. Hoskins has until Aug. 4 to certify the map, which is the same day as the primary elections.
But even if Hoskins certifies the map ahead of the election, Missourians would still need to vote to approve it, according to the court. That vote wouldn't happen until November, which would give Democrats leverage to potentially throw out the map altogether.
"If Hoskins determines that the campaign has enough signatures, the map would then be retroactively suspended back to Dec. 9, the day the campaign filed its initial paperwork, the court found," according to the analysis. "In other words, the new, gerrymandered map would be blocked — and has been blocked — until Missourians have a chance to vote on it in November."
"That stark acknowledgment creates several chaotic and dueling scenarios, including the possibility that one map could be used in August and another one in November," it added. "It could also open the door for a post-election challenge if the gerrymandered map is blocked but used in the August primaries."