Missouri Supreme Court to hear NAACP’s appeal in the lawsuit against Governor Kehoe

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An appeal is set to be heard Wednesday in the NAACP's lawsuit against Governor Kehoe, challenging his authority to call for last year's special session to redraw Missouri's congressional map.

The appeal is set to be heard at 9 a.m. in the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City.

The lawsuit challenges that the governor's proclamation did not meet the legal requirements to justify an extraordinary legislative session. In February, a Cole County judge ruled that Kehoe did act within his legal authority to call for a special session.

Wednesday's appeal of the judge's decision questions whether challengers had the legal ability to sue because the session had ended and whether the lawsuit is moot or capable of being repeated but evades review.

The NAACP's appeal questions the extent of the governor's authority to call for an extraordinary session. Related issues expected to be discussed include the constitution's plain meaning of "extraordinary occasions" and whether it refers only to occasions that are extraordinary or urgent. It also included times outside the legislature's regular sessions, along with questions of what constitutes an extraordinary session.