Republicans lose Supreme Court bid to use new Missouri map

Michael Macagnone, CQ-Roll Call on Sep 10, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court paused on Thursday an order from a federal trial court requiring Missouri to use a congressional map that favored Republicans.

Thursday’s order leaves in place a state Supreme Court ruling that held the map adopted by the Republican-held legislature in 2025 was not legal because of a pending ballot initiative. The fast-moving case has caused whiplash ahead of the midterms, and this latest development likely means the state will use lines adopted in 2022 for this fall’s election.

The original challengers to the map had asked the justices to intervene in the case after Judge Stephen R. Clark for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ordered the state to use the 2025 map this fall after having used it in the August primary.

After the district court ruling, the challengers asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit for a pause, which the court denied. The challengers then asked the Supreme Court to intervene on Wednesday.

“Every hour the TRO remains in force, election officials will continue to implement a congressional map that Missouri’s highest court has held is not and never has been law,” the application said.

Thursday’s order from the justices, which did not include any explanations or dissents, keeps Clark’s order paused while the case works its way through the courts.

There will likely be further litigation over the map and conduct of Missouri’s election, as the state’s ballot deadline was Tuesday. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has argued in court filings that it is too late to change from the 2025 map to the 2022 one.

The state adopted the map last year amid a nationwide escalation in partisan redistricting, redrawing the lines to target the Kansas City-based seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. The state’s eight-member House delegation currently has two Democrats.

After the legislature passed the map, advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri pursued a citizen referendum, which is an option under state law. They sought to put the map to a statewide referendum before it could be used.

The group then sued to force the issue after Hoskins refused to implement the referendum and moved ahead with the primary under the new map. Last week the state Supreme Court ruled that the new map was not legal because of the pending referendum.

Hoskins then sought Supreme Court relief, which was denied on Tuesday.

Separately, Republican Rep. Bob Onder, along with another Republican congressional candidate and two voters, sued in federal court to argue that holding the fall elections under the 2022 map would violate federal law and the Constitution.

On Tuesday Clark agreed and issued a temporary order requiring the use of the 2025 map, and the appeal of that order resulted in Thursday’s order from the justices.