Supreme Court rejects Missouri bid to use Republican congressional map in midterms

Supreme Court order on Missouri map

Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied an emergency request from Missouri officials on September 8 to reinstate a redrawn congressional map for the November midterm elections. Kavanaugh, who oversees emergency applications arising from the Eighth Circuit, acted alone without referring the petition to the full nine-member court. His brief order contained no written explanation and recorded no dissents. The decision leaves in place a state court ruling that blocks the newly enacted district boundaries and forces Missouri to conduct its congressional elections under the previous district map used two years ago. While state officials retain the option to petition another Supreme Court justice, such follow-up appeals are rarely granted.

State court ruling and referendum petition

The legal dispute centers on a redistricting plan adopted by Missouri Republican lawmakers outside the normal decennial cycle to target the Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver since 2005. Republicans hold six of Missouri's eight seats in the U.S. House, while Democrats hold two. In response to the new map, the anti-gerrymandering advocacy group People Not Politicians, directed by Richard von Glahn, collected over 300,000 signatures to force a statewide veto referendum under the Missouri constitution. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition, claiming that constitutional referendum provisions did not apply to congressional redistricting. On September 3, the seven-member Missouri Supreme Court, which includes five Republican-appointed judges, unanimously overturned Hoskins's decision and ruled that the petition was legally valid, automatically suspending the map until voters decide on it in November.

Emergency appeal and state arguments

Following the state court ruling, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway submitted an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court before a September 8 state deadline for altering the general election ballot. Hanaway argued that the state court effectively discarded the votes of 1.2 million citizens who had participated in the August primary under the redrawn boundaries. The state asked federal justices to allow the new map for the November election while permitting the ballot referendum to govern future election cycles. Donald Trump criticized the Missouri court ruling, calling it "horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional." The state court did not specify procedural instructions for holding the general election under district lines different from the August primary, but Kavanaugh's order left the state court mandate intact as Missouri prepares to distribute mail-in ballots.

Broader national redistricting contest

The Missouri litigation represents one theater in a nationwide mid-decade redistricting contest that began in summer 2025 when Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw boundaries for up to five additional House seats. Lawmakers in nearly 20 states initiated redistricting efforts to tilt congressional delegations before the midterms. Across all states involved, Republicans gained an advantage in 16 districts, while Democrats secured an edge in six districts. These adjustments carry direct consequences for the national balance of power, where Republicans hold a 219-214 majority in the U.S. House, a tally that includes one independent member caucusing with Republicans.