USA · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Trump-Backed Missouri Congressional Map, Leaves 2022 Districts In Place
Supreme Court blocks use of new Missouri congressional map for 2026 elections Court blocks new map for third time, returns to 2022 map
Whether Hoskins blame or late-stage chaos is primary.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: supreme Court called out Hoskins for proceeding despite known risks before the primary.
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Democracy Docket
“The Secretary nonetheless chose to proceed with the 2025 map for the primary.”Read the original ↗
NBC News
“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos.”Read the original ↗
Mainstream outlets frame the decision as avoiding electoral chaos from late map changes. Democracy Docket foregrounds Denny Hoskins blame and labels the map a…
Supreme Court blocks 2025 map
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected an attempt to use a new Missouri congressional map backed by President Donald Trump, ending a long-running dispute as absentee voting is underway in the midterm elections.
The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, and the court said, "At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos."
The Supreme Court instead let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum.
The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections, with absentee voting beginning Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II said after the Supreme Court ruling, "I think my reelection prospects shot up significantly."
Hoskins, Kavanaugh, and chaos
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins argued that changing congressional maps after the primary would plunge the state into electoral chaos, but the U.S. Supreme Court wrote that Hoskins knew that risk existed before the primary and chose to proceed anyway.
The Supreme Court said, "The Secretary nonetheless chose to proceed with the 2025 map for the primary," and the decision effectively endorsed the chronology described by the Missouri Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court also said, "Moreover, in this case, the Missouri Supreme Court was not responsible for the late-breaking changes," rejecting a blame shift toward the state high court.
Kansas City election director Shawn Kieffer said a decision from the Supreme Court is "a big sigh of relief," adding, "We just want it over, so we can do our job properly."
Republican Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins described the ruling as "a disappointing blow to representative democracy," but said, "I appreciate the final clarity."
Ballots, seats, and next fights
The Supreme Court ruling leaves Missouri using the 2022 congressional map for the 2026 congressional election, and it preserves a status quo in which Missouri residents will vote under districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections. The decision comes as the legal battle over the 2025 map has already caused confusion for more than a million potential Missouri voters, with the AP describing it as "nearly 1 in 4 statewide" who were shifted from one district to another. The AP reported that Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight House districts, while the 2025 map was intended to help Republicans win an additional seat as part of a nationwide redistricting battle pushed by Trump.
People Not Politicians executive director Richard von Glahn said the group was "done with corrupt politicians trying to force their map into effect outside the process outlined in the Missouri constitution," after the Supreme Court granted an emergency application. The Supreme Court’s ruling also left in place the Missouri Supreme Court’s view that the 2025 map "is not the law and has never been the law," meaning the 2022 districts remain in place for November.