Missouri Supreme Court Holds SOS Hoskins in Contempt

Susie Moore Follow @SmoosieQ

Sep 10, 2026 3:50 PM 3:50 PM on September 10, 2026

On Wednesday, I posited the question: "Can the Missouri SOS Be Held in Contempt for Following a Federal Court Order?"

On Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court answered: "Yes."

Following a hearing Thursday morning in which SCOMO had ordered Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to show cause as to why he ought not be held in contempt for issuing a directive to Missouri county clerks and local election authorities to finalize ballots based on the HB 1 map — i.e., the 7-1 map — and at the end of which the court instructed Hoskins not to go far, the court then ordered Hoskins and the attorneys on the case to return at 2:00 PM.

SCOMO had previously ruled that the state's congressional redistricting map (passed by the legislature in 2025 as HB 1) was subject to referendum and should be placed on the November ballot, effectively preventing that new map from being used for the general election in November, even though it had been used for the August primary. This meant the state would have to revert to the old 6-2 map.

But moments later, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark (Eastern District of Missouri) entered a temporary restraining order (TRO) in a case brought by Rep. Bob Onder (MO-03) and state Senator Rick Brattin (now the GOP nominee for Missouri's 5th Congressional District) against Hoskins and the state, which ordered Hoskins not to use any map other than HB 1, since that was the one used in the primary. That TRO was stayed Thursday morning by the United States Supreme Court.

Hoskins then issued the aforementioned directive (to use the new map) and subsequently was ordered to appear for the contempt proceedings in front of SCOMO.

At Thursday afternoon's hearing, the court found Hoskins in contempt.

Chief Justice W. Brent Powell announced the decision during a hearing on Thursday afternoon.
The court was weighing whether to hold Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt after accusing him of directing local election officials to ignore a court order.
...
Hoskins did not speak during the hearing, but his attorney argued Hoskins was between a “rock and a hard place” on which court ruling to follow.

While we don't yet have a copy of SCOMO's decision, video from the proceedings indicates that the court also found that Hoskins had since purged himself of the contempt by notifying local election authorities of the SCOMO order and directing them to use the 2022 map.

MISSOURI REDISTRICTING 🚨

Secretary of State #MAGA🤡Denny Hoskins was ordered to use the 2022 map—but tried to move forward with Trump’s GOP gerrymandered map.

The Missouri Supreme Court called him in contempt. He backed down.

That’s not leadership. That’s cowardice.2022 map… pic.twitter.com/XZczQbLaIb
— BlueSky Ambassador (@BlueSkyAmb) September 10, 2026

Meanwhile, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has, on its own motion, set an expedited briefing schedule to hear the appeal of the federal court case.

For now, the old 6-2 map wins the day. But the saga continues...

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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