Supreme Court Blocks GOP-Friendly Missouri Congressional Map Again
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency order on Thursday barring Missouri from using a newly redrawn, Republican-friendly congressional map in the upcoming November midterm elections. The ruling marks the high court’s second intervention in a week, upholding decisions from the Missouri Supreme Court, Missouri Politics, Redistricting, 2026 Midterm Elections, US House, Denny Hoskins, Brett Kavanaugh that froze the mid-decade redistricting plan following a successful statewide citizen referendum petition.
The order ensures that Missouri will conduct its general election under its 2022 district boundaries rather than the Trump-backed map designed to secure an additional congressional seat for Republicans.
The legal battle escalated after redistricting opponents, organized under the campaign group People Not Politicians, gathered over 300,000 signatures to force a public vote on the gerrymandered boundaries. Under Missouri law, certifying a valid referendum petition automatically suspends contested legislation pending a statewide vote.
However, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition and attempted to implement the new map, which reconfigured Kansas City’s 5th Congressional District held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver. Although Missouri voters cast ballots under the redrawn lines during the August primaries, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state constitution mandated reverting to the older 2022 map for the general election.
A wave of jurisdictional conflicts ensued after Justice Brett Kavanaugh initially denied an emergency appeal from state officials on Tuesday. Minutes later, a federal district judge issued a conflicting injunction directing election authorities to enforce the Republican-drawn map, prompting Hoskins to announce he would defy the state high court.
The Missouri Supreme Court briefly held Hoskins in contempt before the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to issue a definitive order. The final ruling eliminates remaining procedural hurdles, ensuring the citizen referendum on the redistricting plan will appear as Proposition A on the November ballot while congressional races proceed under the established 2022 district lines.
