JEFFERSON CITY, MO, September 12, 2025 - The NAACP Missouri State Conference today filed an amended petition seeking an injunction in its ongoing lawsuit challenging Governor Mike Kehoe's unconstitutional proclamation calling for an extraordinary legislative session. Despite the organization's legal challenge being filed as the session began, the Missouri Legislature has already rushed through the very legislation the NAACP sought to prevent. 

"The speed at which the legislature acted stands in stark contrast to the unnecessary delays we've experienced from the Attorney General's office in defending this constitutional challenge," said Nimrod Chapel, Jr. President of the NAACP Missouri State Conference. "While our lawsuit sits stalled by procedural delays and unnecessary filings by the Attorney General’s office, taxpayers have been forced to fund an unconstitutional legislative session that should never have been called." 

The legislation rushed through during this extraordinary session includes an unprecedented redrawing of congressional boundaries without any new census data, a move that violates established constitutional processes, and dramatic changes to Missouri's citizen initiative petition process that could significantly restrict citizens' ability to propose Constitutional reforms. 

The NAACP's original petition, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, challenged Governor Kehoe's August 29, 2025 proclamation calling the legislature into extraordinary session to redraw congressional maps and change the way votes are counted for initiative petition elections. The organization argued that there was no change in circumstances in Missouri to constitute the "extraordinary occasion" required under Article IV, Section 9 of the Missouri Constitution. 

Key Issues Raised by NAACP Missouri: 

• Unconstitutional Proclamation: The Governor failed to demonstrate any extraordinary circumstances justifying the costly special session, as required by the Missouri Constitution. 

• Unconstitutional Redistricting: No new census data exists, no federal reapportionment has occurred, and no court has invalidated existing congressional maps drawn in 2022. 

• Redundant Legislation: Most initiatives petition reforms sought by the Governor were already enacted in previous legislative sessions. 

• Taxpayer Burden: Each day of the extraordinary session costs taxpayers an estimated $25,000 in per diem and mileage payments to legislators alone. This is above any costs for overtime of staff members and security. 

"The Attorney General's office has a constitutional duty to defend state actions, but that doesn't mean creating unnecessary procedural roadblocks when fundamental constitutional questions are at stake," said President Chapel. "Meanwhile, the legislature has acted with unprecedented speed to pass measures of questionable necessity while our constitutional challenge languishes." 

The NAACP Missouri State Conference represents over 35 units across Missouri and works to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies that expand civil rights and eliminate discrimination. 

The amended petition maintains the original claims about the Governor’s abuse of his authority under Art. IV Sec. 9 and seeks to enjoin the implementation of both HB1, Congressional maps, and HJR3, changing how votes are counted in initiative petition elections. The amended petition argues that continued delay and allowing the legislation to be implemented only compounds the harm to Missouri taxpayers and their voting rights. 

See the suit here.