Republicans threaten impeachment of Missouri Supreme Court if Hoskins found in contempt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group of Missouri lawmakers sent a letter to Chief Justice W. Brent Powell of the Missouri Supreme Court threatening impeachment of justices on the state's highest court.

"Should Secretary Hoskins be held in contempt, we will petition the Speaker of the House and legislative leadership to begin impeachment proceedings against the responsible members of this Court for willful neglect of duty, incompetency, and misconduct under Article VII, Sections 1 and 2 of the Missouri Constitution," the letter states.

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This comes after the Missouri Supreme Court ordered Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to appear before the court on Thursday. Hoskins ordered the state would abide by a federal judge's ruling to use newly redrawn congressional boundary lines aimed at unseating Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat.

Rep. Cleaver's opponent, State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican, signed on to the letter alongside State Sen. Joe Nicola.

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"A federal court has ordered Missouri to use the HB 1 map for the November election. Secretary Hoskins should not be punished by a state court for complying with that order. If the federal ruling is disputed, the proper path is an appeal through the federal courts," Brattin wrote in a statement on social media. "Our Constitution establishes separate, coequal branches of government and gives each a responsibility to check the others. The judiciary does not stand above the legislative or executive branches, and no branch stands above the United States Constitution. I signed this letter because I am deeply concerned that holding a statewide elected official in contempt for obeying a federal order would upset that constitutional balance and set a dangerous precedent."

Hoskins is scheduled to appear on Wednesday morning in front of the Missouri Supreme Court.

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The letter argues that if the Missouri Supreme Court finds Hoskins in contempt of the federal judge's order, or otherwise directs him to ignore that federal order, "the Court will have demonstrated that it does not understand, or will not apply, the Supremacy Clause."

It goes on to claim that any instruction by the state's highest court would be a "fundamental misunderstanding of the constitutional concept of checks and balances."

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Hoskins appears before the Missouri Supreme Court at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

KSHB 41 Political Reporter Charlie Keegan will be in attendance with the latest update on the hearing.

Read the full letter and see which lawmakers signed on below:

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