09/04/2026
Disagree with the ruling. Be disappointed in the outcome. But know what the Court actually ruled.
On September 3, the Missouri Supreme Court issued three unanimous opinions involving Amendment 6, Missouriās congressional map, and disputed referendum signatures.
The political reactions came quickly. The decisions were called unconstitutional and even a āconstitutional crisis.ā But before Missourians accept anyoneās description of these rulingsāincluding oursāthey should understand what the Court actually said.
The Court did not:
- Endorse Amendment 6 or declare all its provisions constitutional.
- Rule that a 7ā1 congressional map is unconstitutional.
- Decide that signatures collected before official petition approval must be counted.
The Court did:
- Rule that congressional redistricting legislation is subject to Missouriās constitutional referendum process.
- Hold that HB 1 never took effect because a legal, sufficient, and timely referendum petition was filed before its effective date.
- Order Amendment 6 onto the ballot because the Secretary of Stateās certificate did not state the legally required reason for rejecting itāand because he could not replace a ballot title already certified in 2025.
- Dismiss the early-signature case as moot without deciding whether those disputed signatures were valid.
Act for Missouri opposes Amendment 6. We are also not opposed in theory to a 7ā1 congressional map. But believing in those outcomes does not require us to misrepresent what the Court ruled.
We believe in following the Constitution even when the result is politically inconvenient. Better outcomes come from following the law, preserving arguments correctly, and doing the work properly from the beginningānot simply attacking judges after an unfavorable decision.
Our new article explains all three rulings in plain language, responds to the public reactions, and provides both an audio version and downloadable copies of the opinions.
Read or listen here:
https://act4mo.org/posts/court-rulings-9-3-2026.html
What the September 3 rulings actually say about Amendment 6, Missouri's congressional map, disputed signatures, and claims of a constitutional crisis.
