Efforts to overturn a Republican-drawn congressional redistricting map in Missouri have repeatedly failed in court, as multiple rulings have upheld the map passed by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe last year.

The map, enacted through HB1 and implemented in December, redraws district lines in a way that could give Republicans an additional U.S. House seat in a closely contested election cycle. Missouri currently sends six Republicans and two Democrats to the House.

One of the most significant changes splits Kansas City into three districts instead of two, a shift that could make Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s 5th Congressional District more competitive for Republicans.

Legal challenges to the map have come through multiple avenues, but courts have consistently ruled in favor of the state. In the most recent case, Maggard v. Missouri, the Cole County Circuit Court rejected a lawsuit brought by activists seeking to block the map through a proposed referendum effort.

The court ruled that the plaintiffs’ claims were speculative, noting that even if their requested relief were granted, the referendum effort could still fail due to insufficient signatures.

Days earlier, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in Luther v. Hoskins that the state constitution does not prohibit lawmakers from redistricting more than once per decade, affirming the legislature’s authority to pass the new map.

In another case, Wise v. Missouri, the Jackson County Circuit Court found that the redistricting plan met constitutional requirements for compactness and equal population, concluding that challengers failed to meet the burden required to invalidate the map.

Earlier still, a separate ruling in NAACP v. Missouri upheld the governor’s authority to call a special legislative session related to redistricting, rejecting arguments that the session itself was unconstitutional.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said the rulings confirm the legality of the map and reflect repeated courtroom victories for the state. Opponents of the map, including the ACLU of Missouri, have indicated they plan to continue appealing the decisions.

The string of rulings leaves the current map in place as the midterm election cycle approaches, with its political impact likely to be tested at the ballot box.