Missouri asks US Supreme Court to allow use of new Trump-backed congressional districts in midterms

Missouri has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to permit the utilization of fresh congressional districts championed by President Donald Trump in the impending midterm elections. The appeal was filed on Friday, following the state's highest court blocking the new map and mandating a statewide vote in November to decide whether to keep or discard it.

This action is part of a nationwide redistricting conflict that Trump initiated last year. Missouri's newly drawn congressional boundaries aimed to bolster Republican chances of securing an additional seat and maintaining their narrow House majority in the upcoming midterm elections.

The Missouri Supreme Court intervened after redistricting opponents collected over 300,000 petition signatures to present the map to voters. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins dismissed the petition on primary Election Day, arguing that Missouri's constitution does not allow referendum petitions on congressional redistricting.

Despite defending his decision in a lower court, Hoskins lost the case on Thursday, with the state's highest court ruling that the referendum petition temporarily halted the new districts, retroactive to last December, pending voter approval.

The new districts were employed during the August primary, but the court declared that the previous districts enacted after the 2020 census should be utilized in the general election. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway claimed that no other court in American history has ordered congressional maps after a primary but prior to a general election.

She requested the Supreme Court to suspend the state court's decision immediately, highlighting the potential chaos and uncertainty the ruling could bring to Missouri. State law stipulates a Tuesday deadline to modify the November ballot.