Hoskins v. Von Glahn

The National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) is supporting respondent Richard von Glahn in an emergency stay application filed by the Missouri Secretary of State before the U.S. Supreme Court, following the submission of a “citizen veto” referendum against Missouri’s super-gerrymandered congressional map.

In August 2025, at the insistence of President Trump, the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature passed a new mid-decade congressional map for the state, HB 1, and Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed it. According to the map’s proponents, the map turned the state’s existing 6-2 gerrymander into a 7-1 super-gerrymander.

Under the Missouri Constitution, voters have the right to a constitutional referendum: if voters are concerned about a new piece of legislation, they can challenge it through a ballot referendum. If voters meet the legal requirements for the petition, the challenged legislation is suspended unless and until the voters approve it. Richard von Glahn, Executive Director of People Not Politicians (PNP), led the effort among Missouri citizens to gather signatures and put HB 1 to referendum. In December 2025, PNP organizers and volunteers submitted more than twice the required number of signatures to the Secretary of State, triggering a mandatory duty for the Secretary to determine if the signatures were sufficient. The Secretary’s deadline, as set by Missouri law, fell the same day as the state’s primary election. With both the statutory deadline and the primary still months away, the Missouri Supreme Court confirmed that HB 1’s legal status would remain unresolved until the Secretary acted and judicial review was complete. Rather than determining the status ahead of time, however, the Secretary implemented HB 1 for the primary and delayed ruling on the referendum until primary day. Indeed, he undertook a more exhaustive review of signatures than necessary, while the state Attorney General admitted the quiet part out loud: “As long as the status quo is the new maps, delay works in our favor.”

At the last minute, with one hour left before his legal deadline—on the day of the primary election—the Secretary issued a one-sentence rationale claiming that the petition was insufficient, which had nothing to do with the signatures Missouri law authorized the Secretary to review. Instead, the Secretary claimed that referenda could not be applied to congressional redistricting.

Richard von Glahn then filed suit in state court. On appeal, the Missouri Supreme Court determined unanimously that (a) the Missouri Constitution permits a referendum on congressional redistricting legislation; (b) that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and therefore, (c) the 2022 map remains in full force and effect for the November 2026 general election, and HB 1 will not take effect unless and until approved by the voters. The state’s highest court was clear: “HB 1 is not the law and has never been the law.” The Secretary then sought emergency relief with the U.S. Supreme Court. Briefing occurred over Labor Day weekend. A decision is pending.

Case Documents

• Emergency Application for Stay and Administrative Stay Pending Appeal (September 4, 2026)
• Respondent’s Opposition to Emergency Application for Stay and Administrative Stay Pending Appeal (September 7, 2026)