Missouri – Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has taken a strong position against outside groups who she says are trying to undermine the state’s constitutional authority. Hanaway said this week that her office, which represents the State of Missouri, the Missouri General Assembly, and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, has filed a lawsuit in federal court to ban dark money groups from other states from getting involved in Missouri’s redistricting process.
The complaint is against Richard von Glahn and the group People Not Politicians, who are trying to use a vote to overturn Missouri’s new congressional redistricting map. Hanaway’s office said that trying to take redistricting power away from the state legislature is against both the U.S. Constitution and Missouri’s Constitution. The complaint calls the move a “unprecedented attempt” to change Missouri’s elections through outside influence.
“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.
Hanaway reinforced that message in a public statement, saying her goal is to protect Missouri’s constitutional integrity.
“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,” she said.
The lawsuit brings attention to rising worries across the country that outside money is affecting the political processes at the state level. Hanaway stressed that Missouri’s lawsuit sends a strong message: elected officials who are accountable to voters, not groups with secret financial backing, should have the power to redraw district lines.
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Secretary of State Denny Hoskins echoed the attorney general’s warning, calling the attempt to alter Missouri’s redistricting process a direct threat to state sovereignty.
“My office operates on integrity first — not partisan politics or out-of-state money,” Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said. “Missouri’s Constitution belongs to Missourians, not to dark-money groups trying to rewrite it for their own gain. It has become far too easy to mislead voters and undermine the sacred document that protects our way of life. Our job is to defend the rule of law, safeguard Missouri values, and make sure our Constitution cannot be bought or manipulated from the outside.”
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The state’s legal filing seeks both declaratory and injunctive relief, asking the court to block any attempt to move forward with the proposed referendum. It asserts that Missouri cannot be forced to spend taxpayer resources facilitating a legally baseless challenge that would undermine the legislature’s constitutional authority.
“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.”
