Supreme court blocks Trump-backed Missouri congressional map from use in midterms

The Supreme Court on Friday blocked a Republican-backed Missouri congressional map from being used in the upcoming midterm elections, concluding a lengthy legal battle. The justices halted a previous ruling that would have allowed the map to be utilized during the November elections, thus preserving the stability of the electoral process.

The court upheld a decision made by the Missouri supreme court, which stated that a petition from a citizen prevented the use of the new map unless it received voter approval via a November referendum. As a result, Missouri voters will continue to follow the same congressional districts that were in place during the 2024 and 2022 elections.

The decision emphasizes that ordering the map's reversion at such a late stage would lead to "electoral chaos." Republicans had hoped the new map, which was also used in the August primary elections, could aid them in securing an additional congressional seat. However, the outcome will have significant implications for over a million voters – nearly a quarter of the state's population – who were previously assigned to different districts, leading to variations in the candidates they could vote for.

Absentee voting commenced on Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts, though some local election officials advised voters to await further clarification due to the legal uncertainty surrounding the matter. Republicans currently control six out of Missouri's eight House districts. In response to the actions of Trump and Republican Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers passed revised congressional districts in September 2023, with the aim of increasing their chances of winning seven seats during the midterms.

These changes notably altered a district represented by Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Republican State Senator Rick Brattin, along with two other voters and Cleaver, had filed a federal lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court's ruling and the subsequent appeals. Despite at least 16 lawsuits filed at both state and federal levels in relation to Missouri's congressional redistricting, the map remained intact in most cases.

The state's new map faced challenges, including allegations that mid-decade redistricting violated the state constitution and that the districts did not meet requirements for compactness. In a landmark decision, the Missouri Supreme Court allowed the new districts to be used while election officials verified petition signatures seeking a statewide vote.

Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins delayed his approval of the petition until the legal deadline of August 4, asserting that referendum petitions were not permissible for congressional redistricting. However, the Missouri supreme court ruled on September 3 that the petition was indeed valid, ordering Hoskins not to use the new map and to revert to the 2022 districts instead.

The Supreme Court subsequently upheld this ruling on September 8. However, just a day later, a US District Judge Stephen Clark issued a conflicting order in favor of using the new map. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court intervened and blocked Clark's order from taking effect, thereby ensuring the preservation of the 2022 districts.