Missouri supreme court throws out new congressional maps backed by Trump

The Missouri supreme court has unanimously blocked new congressional districts backed by Donald Trump from being used in the November election. The court ordered a statewide vote on whether to uphold or reject the new map, dealing a setback to Republicans who had hoped the new boundaries would help them win an additional seat and hold onto their slim House majority.

The new congressional map was drawn by state Republicans last year and would have likely given the GOP an additional House seat. However, a referendum petition organized by Democrats to put the new congressional maps to a vote was deemed sufficient by the court, and voters will ultimately decide the fate of the new lines in November. In the meantime, the original congressional districts will be used in the midterms.

The decision marks a rare setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle. According to POLITICO, the ruling means Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's original Kansas City-based district will likely stay in Democratic hands this fall. The ruling can still be appealed to the US supreme court.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian US, PBS NewsHour, South China Morning Post, POLITICO, The Hill — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.