Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) is leading a lawsuit aimed at reversing the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision last week to block a GOP-friendly congressional map from being used in the midterm elections.
“It was really a startling act of judicial supremacy by the Missouri Supreme Court,” Onder said of the state high court’s ruling, in an interview with The Post on Monday.
“The court took the unprecedented action of trying to change a congressional map after primary voters had already voted,” the congressman continued. “After 1.2 million primary voters in Missouri had chosen their candidates – Republican and Democrat and Libertarian and Green — for the general election.
“In doing so, they effectively disenfranchised 1.2 million Missourians.”
The lawsuit, filed Friday by Onder, Republican House candidate Rick Brattin and two Missouri voters in the federal district court for the Eastern District of Missouri, argues that the state Supreme Court ruling violates both the US and state constitutions.
Returning to the old district lines for the Nov. 3 election “is not feasible without significant cost, confusion, and hardship to voters, candidates and election administrators alike,” the complaint continued.
“They completely threw the election process into disarray,” Onder said of the justices on the state Supreme Court, “and unbelievably, they took it upon themselves to choose to disregard the vote of the people.”
“My constituents are shocked,” the congressman continued. “A lot of them are texting me, you know, ‘I was looking forward to having you as my congressman’ … ‘I voted for you in August. What happens now?’”
In a unanimous decision, the court on Thursday ordered that a statewide referendum be held in November to determine the ultimate fate of the new map.
The court moved to block the new districts, which were used in the state’s August primaries, after citizens submitted petition signatures seeking a statewide vote on the new map, which would’ve given the GOP a new advantage in the Democrat-held House seat Brattin is running for.
“Primary voters chose the Republican and the Democrat nominee, and all of a sudden you’re just going to scramble those various nominees and have them run in different districts? It just makes utterly no sense whatsoever,” Onder fumed.
Missouri Republicans are also petitioning the US Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter.
“We look forward to [the US Supreme Court’s] prompt review of this critical matter, as our ability to hold timely and lawful congressional elections hangs in the balance,” GOP Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway wrote on X Friday night, after filing an emergency application with the high court.
With Election Day fast approaching, and history on their side, according to Onder, it made sense to seek relief from both courts.
“There’s a long line of precedents that say, ‘You do not mess with elections this close to Election Day.’ And here we’ve already completed a primary, and the Missouri Supreme Court takes it upon themselves to try to change the maps,” the congressman said.
“I hope one or both courts will do the right thing and correct this egregious wrong.”
Both courts set a Monday deadline to receive arguments from both sides. Onder wouldn’t venture to make a prediction on how the case will play out.
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