U.S. Supreme Court deals Missouri GOP another blow in congressional map fight
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday again rejected an effort to use Missouri’s Republican-drawn 2025 congressional map in the Nov. 3 election, delivering another setback to Republicans trying to gain an additional U.S. House seat.
The decision came in People Not Politicians v. Onder, the latest emergency appeal in a rapidly escalating legal fight that has produced conflicting orders from state and federal courts.
The disputed map was approved by Missouri lawmakers last year after President Donald Trump urged Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections. The new lines were designed to make a Kansas City-area district held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver more favorable to Republicans.
Opponents collected more than 300,000 signatures seeking a statewide referendum on the map.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the referendum was valid and ordered Secretary of State Denny Hoskins not to use the 2025 districts unless voters approve them in November. The court ordered Missouri to use its previous congressional districts for the general election.
But the dispute became more complicated this week when Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a conflicting federal order directing Hoskins to use the 2025 map. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt Clark’s order, sending opponents back to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thursday’s Supreme Court action rejects that latest attempt to preserve the federal ruling requiring use of the new map and appears to clear the way for Missouri to return to its previous congressional districts for the Nov. 3 election.
The decision also comes as Hoskins faces a separate confrontation with the Missouri Supreme Court.
Hoskins was ordered to personally appear before the court Thursday morning and explain why he should not be held in contempt after continuing to direct election officials to use the 2025 map despite the state court’s order.
The confrontation has prompted some Republican state lawmakers to threaten impeachment proceedings against Missouri Supreme Court justices if Hoskins is held in contempt.
The stakes extend beyond Missouri. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House, and the 2025 Missouri map was drawn with the potential to give the GOP seven of the state’s eight congressional seats.
Missouri voters are still expected to vote on the 2025 redistricting plan in November. If voters approve it, the map could take effect afterward.
For the Nov. 3 congressional election, however, Thursday’s Supreme Court action represents a major victory for opponents of the new districts and another major blow to the Republican redistricting effort.
