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

In a bid to ensure the use of new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump, Missouri has sought the U.S. Supreme Court's permission ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The appeal arises after the Missouri Supreme Court halted the new map, ordering a November referendum for voters to decide whether to retain or reject it. This move is part of a broader nationwide redistricting dispute ignited by Trump last year.

The newly drawn congressional boundaries aim to benefit Republicans by securing an additional seat and preserving their narrow House majority in the November midterms. Missouri's Supreme Court intervened following the submission of over 300,000 petition signatures by redistricting opponents, seeking a public vote on the map. However, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins dismissed the petition on primary Election Day, arguing that Missouri's constitution does not permit referendum petitions on congressional redistricting.

Despite his success in a lower court, Hoskins lost the case before the state's highest court on Thursday.

The court ruled that the referendum petition effectively suspended the new districts, making them retroactive to December of the previous year, pending voter approval. Even though the new districts were utilized in the August primary, the state's highest court decreed that the previous districts enacted after the 2020 census should be employed in the general election.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway noted that no other court in U.S. history has ordered congressional maps after a primary but before a general election, deeming the remedy unprecedented and potentially causing significant chaos in Missouri.

The appeal emphasizes the State's uncertainty about whether it can switch its governing congressional map in time to conduct a timely federal election.