A single word can make or break a legal argument. Last week, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the legislature's power to redraw congressional districts at will.
It all came down to what the word "when" means.
On this edition of the Legal Roundtable on "St. Louis on the Air," a panel of three expert attorneys discussed how a seemingly simple question of a word's definition became a key part of a ruling that directly impacts the 2026 election.
Nannette Baker, an attorney and former judge, posed the question facing the state Supreme Court: "Does 'when' mean 'only when?'"
The court's 4-3 ruling on March 24, Baker continued, "basically stated that 'when' did not limit the number of times that the redistricting can occur. …[The dissent] argued the other side, and stated that it should be based on when the census is done. The reason is because that's when you have the best idea of how many people there are in each district."
Along with Baker, the roundtable featured Sarah Swatosh, a labor and employment attorney, and St. Louis University School of Law professor Susan McGraugh.
To hear the full conversation with the Legal Roundtable — including a case of a journalist jailed after being caught using her phone to record a court hearing, a new crime bill and a lawsuit by a former superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools — listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Layla Halilbasic is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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