The congressional redistricting map passed last year by Missouri lawmakers has been upheld by a Cole County judge.
Following a three-day court battle, Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled late Friday that the districts in the so-called Grand Compromise Map do comply with the state constitution’s requirement that congressional districts be “as compact as may be.” Gerry Greiman, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, disagrees.
“There were several districts in the map that were not as compact as may be, including the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th," Greiman said.
Attorneys for the defense were not available for comment, but they had argued that it was not possible to meet everyone’s expectation of what is or is not a compact congressional district. Greiman says they’ll appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, which heard the case last month and ordered the trial that took place this week, concluding with today’s decision.
“(Judge Green's ruling) doesn’t really make factual determinations about compactness," Greiman said. "It reinterprets the standard of what the constitutional language means in a way that we think is at odds with what the Supreme Court said."
Meanwhile, candidates for office are supposed to begin filing to run on Feb. 28.
Missouri's congressional districts were redrawn last year to reflect changes in the population and the state's loss of a ninth congressional district. The Republican-controlled Missouri General Assembly enacted the redistricting plan after overriding the veto of Democratic Governor Jay Nixon.
