Missouri Attorney General challenges Constitutionality of St. Louis Congressional District
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the state’s 1st Congressional District as an unconstitutional gerrymander, marking a notable shift in Republican support for the historically majority-Black district. The legal action alleges the current map prioritizes race over other redistricting principles,potentially dismantling a decades-long bipartisan agreement.
For decades, Missouri Republicans have supported maintaining a majority-Black district in the St. Louis area, a strategy that simultaneously bolstered African American political representation while strengthening the GOP’s hold on surrounding congressional districts. This unusual alliance, detailed in former Congressman Bill Clay’s book “bill Clay: A Political Voice at the Grassroots,” saw both parties benefiting from the 1st District’s composition. However,the current challenge signals a departure from that precedent.
The lawsuit comes after the Republican-led legislature approved a new congressional map during a special session earlier this month. State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-st. Louis, sharply criticized the map, calling it “racist” because it places largely white inner-ring suburbs into the 1st Congressional District. Bosley views the lawsuit as confirmation of a long-held concern: “They think that it’s all just a run-of-the-mill conversation, but in all actuality, we certainly know for a fact that the ultimate goal is to control the St. Louis region,” she said. ”So in reading that, I was not only floored – but I also took it as a moment of just like, ‘Here we go again.'”
The shift also draws criticism from Democratic activists. “It’s just disappointing where this governance has taken us and as a contry,” said Bell, referencing the targeting of Democratic lawmakers – many representing districts with sizable racial minority populations – under the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting plans. he characterized the move as fostering “a safe space for these voices of hate and division,” linking it to the “MAGA movement” and an effort to return the country “to a place to where this country was not for everyone.”
the outcome of the lawsuit could reshape Missouri’s congressional delegation and redefine the state’s approach to redistricting, potentially ending an era of bipartisan cooperation on representation in the St. Louis area.
