In a separate but related ruling issued Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court held that referendum petitions challenging Missouri’s new congressional redistricting law did not automatically suspend the law upon filing. 

The case, Maggard v. State of Missouri, involved a challenge brought by Missouri voters Jake Maggard and Gregg Lombardi, who argued House Bill 1 should have been immediately frozen after referendum petitions were submitted to the Secretary of State on Dec. 9, 2025. 

House Bill 1 repealed Missouri’s existing congressional map and established new congressional districts despite no new census having been conducted since 2022. 

Opponents of the map organized a referendum campaign and submitted hundreds of boxes of petition signatures to the Secretary of State in an effort to place the issue before Missouri voters. 

The plaintiffs argued the Missouri Constitution’s referendum provisions automatically suspended any law targeted by referendum petitions once those petitions were filed. 

The Supreme Court rejected that argument, finding nothing in the Missouri Constitution provides for automatic suspension simply upon delivery of petitions.

The opinion focused heavily on Article III, Sections 49, 52(a), and 52(b) of the Missouri Constitution, which govern Missouri’s referendum process. 

The Court noted the constitution explicitly requires referendum petitions to contain signatures from five percent of legal voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts before a referendum can officially be ordered. 

According to the Court, merely submitting boxes of petitions does not establish that the constitutional threshold has been met.

The justices emphasized that the Secretary of State is tasked under Missouri law with verifying petition signatures and determining whether petitions satisfy constitutional and statutory requirements. 

At the time of the lawsuit, the Secretary of State had not yet issued a certificate determining whether the referendum petition was sufficient. 

The Court also rejected claims that Missouri’s statutory verification procedures unconstitutionally delay referendum rights. The opinion pointed to the detailed review process established in Chapter 116 of Missouri law, which includes signature verification, certification deadlines, and judicial review procedures. 

The opinion warned that adopting the plaintiffs’ interpretation could allow legislation passed by the General Assembly to be automatically suspended merely by delivering boxes of papers to the Secretary of State, regardless of whether the signatures were valid. 

The Court also distinguished the case from older Missouri precedent cited by challengers, noting earlier cases predated Missouri’s current statutory referendum verification system. 

Ultimately, the Court concluded the filing of referendum petitions alone did not suspend House Bill 1 and affirmed the Cole County Circuit Court’s ruling. 

The decision leaves Missouri’s new congressional map in effect while the Secretary of State continues the signature verification process to determine whether the referendum will qualify for the ballot.