Judge approves Missouri redistricting that offers Republicans one additional seat in Congress

Part of the Democrats’ agenda to blunt the work of President Donald Trump is to take the majority in the U.S. House after this year’s midterm elections, a result that would not be a particular surprise given the narrow GOP majority now and the fact the party in the White House often loses a few seats at the halfway point of the president term.

But this year is different, as the GOP already has accomplished redistricting in Texas that probably will add a handful of seats to the Republican Party. Democrats immediately responded by re-arranging the deck chairs in California’s delegation to, they hope, take about that same number back.

But other states also are working on their own plans, and a judge in Missouri now has ruled that the plan that was launched by Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session and rearrange the districts in a way that probably will change the GOP advantage from 6-2 to 7-1 in the state can go forward.

Spectrum reported that the judge ruled the governor had the authority to determine what was an extraordinary situation, and then to call a special session for the purpose of redistricting.

Actually, Politico has reported that the Democrats’ biggest chance for success involves their lawsuits, which have produced negative results for the party already several times.

“With limited options to redraw maps in blue states outside Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort in California, the courtroom presents the party’s best hope of countering Trump’s aggressive strategy,” the report said. In fact, Democrats already have designated district lines to benefit their party in many states across the country, and have no room now to grow those numbers.

States and their circumstances vary, but the Democrats repeatedly have offered the claims in court already that Republicans are “suppressing voters of color” and engaging in partisan gerrymandering, which the Democrats already have accomplished in California.

They are working through the National Redistricting Foundation, and a spokesman for the group’s redistricting committee, John Bisognano, said going to court is “the final backstop.”

Texas quickly approved its changes, giving the GOP a chance at more seats, and its move has been allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court. California responded with a move to give more seats to Democrats, which the courts also allowed.

Multiple cases have developed since, although none with the numbers of seats involved as in Texas and California.

Litigation also is looming in Ohio, and potentially Florida and Indiana.

Key could be a pending Supreme Court case that could be used to gut key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, a law frequently used by Democrats to build their arguments.

The GOP could end up picking up three seats in Ohio, and yet another legal fight is brewing over the number of non-citizens that are counted in leftist states, and the accompanying congressional seats that represent them. A GOP victory in that dispute could end up shifting several dozen seats from Democrat states to GOP states.