Missouri Secretary of State Hoskins, found in contempt of court, reverses himself on state's gerrymandered map

Matthew Kelly, The Kansas City Star on Sep 10, 2026

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon ruled that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was in contempt of court for ordering local election officials to use a redrawn congressional map in November after conflicting rulings from the state’s high court and a federal court judge.

But in the same breath that Chief Justice W. Brent Powell announced the court’s decision, he declared that Hoskins had purged himself of the contempt violation by conceding defeat. Hoskins notified the court after his contempt hearing that he had reversed course and directed local election officials to use the same congressional map as in 2022 and 2024.

“This court finds the secretary of state was in contempt of its September 3, 2026, order enjoining him from the implementation, utilization and mandating the use of the congressional districting map in HB 1 for the November 2026 general election,” Powell said, referring to the Republican-friendly map passed by the General Assembly in 2025.

“However, the civil contemptor has at all times the power to purge himself of all contempt by complying with the order of this court,” Powell continued. The court finds that the secretary has since corrected his contemptuous conduct by informing this court of his notifications to the local elections authorities . . . to use the 2022 congressional district map.”

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