(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