Supreme Court to Hear Louisiana Redistricting Case - Here's Why the Outcome Could Matter in Missouri

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving redistricting in the state of Louisiana. But the bigger question may be the constitutionality of race-based congressional districts. Mid-decade redistricting in general has become front and center since the Texas Legislature redrew and passed a new congressional district map this summer. Missouri also recently redrew its congressional maps, breaking up the fifth congressional district, which covers most of the Kansas City area, into three different districts. It will effectively give Missouri seven Republican districts to one Democrat district. That lone Democrat district is District One (CD1), which covers the city of St. Louis and much of North St. Louis County, and it is a prime example of what happens when good intentions go awry.

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To see how Missouri CD1 and its Republican-voting residents have gotten to where they are today, we need to take a trip down memory lane. In 1968, William Clay Sr. was running to become the first black congressman from the state of Missouri, indeed a historic first for that time. An unusual coalition of black Democrats and white Republicans got together to create a district that virtually ensured Clay's victory. However, now there is a problem: It's not 1968 anymore, and people, times, and circumstances have changed dramatically.

Currently, the racial breakdown of CD1 is 44 percent black, 42 percent white, 5 percent Hispanic, and 4 percent Asian. If this were a poll, it would be a virtual tie. We also know that voting patterns have changed. In 2020, Donald Trump received 8 percent of the black vote; in 2024, that number nearly doubled to 15 percent. But the most significant change since 1968 is that the candidates have changed. CD1 was created so that black voters, who still vote largely Democrat, would vote for a black Democrat candidate. Starting in 2010, all the way through 2024, three black Republican candidates have run for the seat. Are we still saying that black voters in CD1 do not have some viable choices?

This is the Louisiana racially gerrymandered Louisiana Congressional District that sent Leftist Cleo Fields to Congress and which the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to strike down. They should. pic.twitter.com/TnnUbYjYZn

— LACAG.org (@LacagOrg) October 14, 2025

So, what have Republican residents in CD1, who likely all want fair elections and everyone's vote to count, gotten for their troubles? Their own disenfranchisement. In the district created so that Missouri could make history, any Republican, no matter their race, has a slim to none chance of being elected. The other thing that happens is we get "candidates" like Anthony Rogers.

Who is Anthony Rogers? In September of 2020, the local Fox affiliate stated that he was a political "newcomer," and a comedian who had a YouTube podcast called "The Anthony Rogers Show." YouTube went on to describe him as "an artist, professional tourist, entrepreneur, and your next Congressman.” Okay, Ronald Reagan was an actor, and Donald Trump hosted a reality television show, fair enough.

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But the local Fox affiliate was not at a local Republican meeting where Rogers introduced himself to voters; I was. Granted, this was pre-Fetterman shorts and hoodie days, but Rogers came to the front of the room in baggy shorts and a T-shirt, with a beard that looked as though he was auditioning to be the lost Robertson brother on "Duck Dynasty," or for a gig with ZZ Top. It is hard to remember if he talked or knew anything at all about the issues CD1 voters cared about. He wasn't there long. He insulted a few people and dropped some F-bombs, and was out the door. After he was gone, you could have heard a pin drop. Needless to say, he went on to be trounced in the general election by Cori Bush, 78.8 percent to 19 percent. The rumor after the election was that he ran as a comedy bit. It certainly was.

The Louisiana case is important, of course, in Louisiana. But it could have some far-reaching effects. If race-based districts are deemed unconstitutional, the vote I have cast for my representative in Congress might just count for the first time since I have been old enough to vote. St. Louis and the surrounding area have always been heavily Democratic. So, what are Democrats afraid of? Are they afraid of black Republican candidates? The great Thomas Sowell once said, "When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination." I think I just answered my own question, and I will be watching closely on Wednesday.

Supreme Court weighs banning Congressional Districts drawn based on race.

This seems pretty racist to have in place.

Surely the Dems wont oppose this... pic.twitter.com/ctcNQIlydw

— X22 Report (@X22Report) August 1, 2025