The Missouri NAACP is challenging an attempt by Republican lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map and splinter Kansas City into three different districts.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Cole County, an attempt to block a special legislative session called by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts — with a focus on Kansas City. It’s the first legal challenge against the special session, which convened on Sept. 3.

Under the proposed map, Missouri would lose one of its two congressional seats held by Black lawmakers. The plan targets the 5th District, represented by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. The 1st District, represented by U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell of St. Louis County, would remain intact.

The lawsuit argues that Kehoe’s deci

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