JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced that her Office, representing the State of Missouri, the Missouri General Assembly, and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, has filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop out-of-state dark money groups from hijacking Missouri’s electoral process and silencing the will of Missouri’s elected representatives.
Attorney General Hanaway filed suit to block efforts by Richard von Glahn and the organization People Not Politicians to subject Missouri’s newly enacted congressional redistricting plan to a referendum, an unprecedented attempt that violates both the U.S. Constitution and the Missouri Constitution.
“Subjecting Missouri’s congressional redistricting to ballot referenda will invite chaos—driven by out-of-state special interests looking to gain a partisan advantage in Congress,” the lawsuit states.
Attorney General Hanaway emphasized that, “This lawsuit is about protecting Missouri’s constitutional authority from being hijacked by out-of-state dark money groups. The Constitution entrusts congressional redistricting to the people’s elected legislature, not to activist organizations bankrolled by undisclosed donors. If allowed to proceed, this effort would destroy faith in our elections and set a dangerous precedent where outside interests could override constitutional order.”
This case also represents a landmark moment for Missouri and the nation. Across the country, activist groups are testing new ways to seize control of the state’s election process through outside funding. By acting decisively, Missouri is setting the precedent that redistricting must remain in the hands of elected representatives who are accountable to the people, not out-of-state organizations with hidden agendas. Failure to act now would open the door for outside groups to dictate how Missouri is congressionally divided, effectively silencing the voice of Missourians in favor of shadowy special interests.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the unlawful referendum from proceeding. It argues that Missouri cannot be forced to expend resources facilitating a referendum that has no legal basis and would unlawfully strip the General Assembly of its vested authority under both the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Article III, Section 45 of the Missouri Constitution.
“Missouri’s redistricting process cannot be dictated by out-of-state special interests,” Attorney General Hanaway said. “We will not allow dark money groups to silence Missouri voices or hijack the work of the General Assembly. Our Office will defend Missouri’s constitutional authority at every turn.”