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(AP) — A divided Missouri Supreme Court upheld voting districts drawn for the state Senate on Wednesday, rejecting a legal challenge that claimed mapmakers should have placed a greater emphasis on keeping communities intact. The high court's 5-2 decision means the districts, first used in the 2022 elections, will remain in place both for this year's elections and ensuing ones. While a Republican Senate committee supported the Senate map enacted in 2022 by a panel of appeals court judges, a GOP House committee sided with Democratic-aligned voters suing for the districts to be overturned. The third prioritizes “contiguous” and “compact” districts, and the fourth requires communities to be kept whole in districts if possible under the equal population guidelines. The Supreme Court said a trial judge correctly decided that the constitution makes “compact” districts a higher priority than keeping communities intact.

Persons: Judge Kelly Broniec, Mike Parson's, Judge W, Brent Powell, Judge Paul Wilson, ” Powell, Chuck Hatfield, ” Hatfield, I’m, Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, ” Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, Republicans, Republican, GOP, Democratic, Republican Gov, Pro Locations: Mo, Missouri, Buchanan, Louis, Hazelwood, ”

(AP) — Missouri's high court entertained arguments Thursday on whether to force changes to the state's Senate districts in a case that has divided majority-party Republicans over how to apply new voter-approved redistricting criteria. The lawsuit brought by voters contends that Senate districts in suburban St. Louis and western Missouri's Buchanan County violate the state constitution by needlessly splitting cities or counties into multiple districts. The outcome of the case won't affect immediate control of the Senate, where Republicans hold a 24-10 majority over Democrats. Deputy Solicitor General Maria Lanahan told judges that various other Senate districts — though not challenged by plaintiffs — also split counties while not following political subdivision lines. "Compact, contiguous territory is the first and most powerful line of defense against political and racial gerrymanders,” Senate Republicans wrote in a brief filed by attorney Eddie Greim.

Persons: Chuck Hatfield, Hatfield, Maria Lanahan, —, ”, Eddie Greim Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, Republicans, Republican, GOP, Democratic, Senate, Democrats, Missouri House Republican, ” Locations: Mo, St, Louis, Missouri's Buchanan, Missouri, Buchanan, Hazelwood

The verdict could upend decades-old practices that have allowed real estate agents to boost commissions by forcing sellers to pay commissions to buyers' real estate brokers. Representatives of Compass and Douglas Elliman declined to comment. BTIG analyst Soham Bhonsle in an investor note said the fact that Douglas Elliman, Redfin, Compass and eXp were being sued by the same lawyers was a negative for their stocks. Zillow (ZG.O) shares initially fell 0.33% after brokerage Jefferies cut its price target, citing the impact of Tuesday's verdict. While Zillow is not a defendant in either lawsuit, Jefferies said Tuesday's verdict "increases the chances of a ban on commission sharing and Zillow having to pivot the business model."

Persons: Douglas, Mike Segar, Douglas Elliman, Berkshire Hathaway's, eXp, Glenn Kelman, Soham Bhonsle, Jefferies, Zillow, HomeServices, Chibuike Oguh, Jonathan Stempel, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, World Holdings, National Association of Realtors, Compass, NAR, Thomson Locations: Manhattan's, New York City , New York, U.S, Kansas City , Missouri, Berkshire, America, Western Missouri, Missouri , Kansas, Illinois, New York

(AP) — A Missouri judge has upheld the constitutionality of the state's Senate districts in a case that provided the first legal test of revised redistricting criteria approved by voters. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem rejected claims that the Senate map unlawfully divided certain local governments into multiple Senate districts, but an attorney said Wednesday that his clients are considering an appeal. In Missouri, two separate bipartisan citizen commissions are supposed to redraw state House and Senate districts after each census to account for population changes. Hatfield said he doesn't believe the constitutional criteria make it OK to split a county into multiple districts when it could be kept whole. The Senate districts were defended in court by Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office.

Persons: Jon Beetem, “, Chuck Hatfield, Beetem, Hatfield, doesn't, Andrew Bailey's, Bailey, Madeline Sieren, ” Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, —, Cole, Republican, Judicial Locations: Mo, Missouri, state's, ” Missouri, Louis, Hazelwood, Buchanan County, St

CNN —A “large and extremely dangerous” tornado has been observed over Cole, Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado has rolled through southeastern Cleveland and west-central McClain counties in the central portion of the state. These storms are capable of producing large hail and damaging winds, with a limited tornado potential, along west of Hwy 75. These storms are capable of producing large hail and damaging winds, with a limited tornado potential, along west of Hwy 75,” the National Weather Service in Tulsa said. On Thursday, the severe storms threat shifts to the east to include eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma, southeastern Missouri and much of Arkansas.

☆ First U.S. execution of openly transgender woman set for Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Mike Parson grants clemency, Amber McLaughlin, 49, will become the first openly transgender woman executed in the U.S. She is scheduled to die by injection Tuesday for killing a former girlfriend in 2003. There is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the U.S. before, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center. Before transitioning, McLaughlin was in a relationship with girlfriend Beverly Guenther. She won the lawsuit in 2018 and became a mentor to other transgender inmates, including McLaughlin. Kevin Johnson, 37, was put to death Nov. 29 for the ambush killing of a Kirkwood, Missouri, police officer.

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