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Federal Appeals Court Revives GOP-Friendly Missouri Redistricting Map
Confirmed
In Short: A federal appeals court ruled Missouri must use its Republican-favored 2025 redistricting map for November's election, despite the Supreme Court's previous decisions.
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use its Republican-favored 2025 redistricting map for November's election, despite the Supreme Court's previous decisions.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, comprised of Republican-appointed judges, including two picked by President Donald Trump, ordered Missouri to use the new map, despite the Supreme Court declining twice this month to intervene in the dispute.
The court's decision comes after experts believed the Supreme Court's latest decision would be the end of the push to use the 2025 map. However, the 8th Circuit judges said last week that they interpreted it as a call to action by the justices.
The ruling states that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution. Only the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law, according to the appeals court.
The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ordered Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use the 2022 map, which favored Republicans in a 6-2 split.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the new map causes the least amount of confusion for voters this year because they have already used the map this year, but it allowed redistricting opponents one week to get relief from the Supreme Court.
The decision has no immediate effect and faces long odds to be implemented ahead of the election based on the Supreme Court’s previous action.
The Missouri Supreme Court had signaled Tuesday that it was considering holding Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt amid an escalating battle over proposed congressional maps.
Hoskins, a Republican, said Tuesday that he would keep using the congressional districts redrawn last year, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that left standing a state Supreme Court order requiring Missouri to use its old districts instead.
Hoskins must appear in court Thursday to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt for instructing election officials to use the 2025 congressional map despite an injunction barring its use.
Opponents of the new redistricting plan quickly filed a notice to appeal Clark's order to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court and asked the court for an emergency temporary stay while it considers the appeal.
What this adds
The ruling adds a new wrinkle to the ongoing fight over redistricting in Missouri, as the GOP tries to eliminate one of the state’s two Democratic House districts.
The Supreme Court's previous rulings had seemingly stopped Republican efforts to draw out Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City seat.
The ruling from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals is likely to be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Background
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is appealing to the US Supreme Court to reverse a state court decision that blocked the use of a new congressional map.
What's confirmed
- A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use its Republican-favored 2025 redistricting map for November's election, despite the Supreme Court's previous decisions.
- The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, comprised of Republican-appointed judges, including two picked by President Donald Trump, ordered Missouri to use the new map, despite the Supreme Court declining twice this month to intervene in the dispute.
- The court's decision comes after experts believed the Supreme Court's latest decision would be the end of the push to use the 2025 map. However, the 8th Circuit judges said last week that they interpreted it as a call to action by the justices.
- The ruling states that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution. Only the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law, according to the appeals court.
- The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ordered Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use the 2022 map, which favored Republicans in a 6-2 split.
- The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the new map causes the least amount of confusion for voters this year because they have already used the map this year, but it allowed redistricting opponents one week to get relief from the Supreme Court.
- The decision has no immediate effect and faces long odds to be implemented ahead of the election based on the Supreme Court’s previous action.
- The Missouri Supreme Court had signaled Tuesday that it was considering holding Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt amid an escalating battle over proposed congressional maps.
- Hoskins, a Republican, said Tuesday that he would keep using the congressional districts redrawn last year, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that left standing a state Supreme Court order requiring Missouri to use its old districts instead.
- Hoskins must appear in court Thursday to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt for instructing election officials to use the 2025 congressional map despite an injunction barring its use.
- Opponents of the new redistricting plan quickly filed a notice to appeal Clark's order to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court and asked the court for an emergency temporary stay while it considers the appeal.
What's still developing
- Monday’s decision upheld a decision by Missouri-based U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark, who had that the new map must be used, notwithstanding the Missouri Supreme Court having previously reached the opposite conclusion.
- The appeals court put its ruling on hold for a week, giving the challengers time to seek Supreme Court intervention again.
- A federal court in Missouri ruled in favor of Republicans on Monday afternoon, breathing new life into the party’s desire for a more GOP-friendly U.S. House map in the state.
- The Supreme Court’s ruling had seemingly stopped Republican efforts to draw out Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City seat.
- On Sep. 10, the high court granted an emergency appeal to People Not Politicians Missouri, a group opposed to the redistricting push, without any justices noted as dissenting.
- "I look forward to my day in court," Hoskins said in a post on X that cited the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
- "An individual federal judge cannot overrule the Missouri Supreme Court," said attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents People Not Politicians, the group that sponsored the referendum petition.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh turned down a Republican-backed emergency appeal that sought to block a Missouri Supreme Court ruling last week restoring earlier district lines and ordering that voters to weigh in on the redistricting plan in November for use in future elections.
- However, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Clark, in a decision made public within minutes of Kavanaugh ’s ruling, issued a temporary restraining order that effectively set aside the state Supreme Court’s decision and granted Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ request to move forward with the plan likely to elect a Republican in one of the state’s two districts currently held by Democrats.
- The rulings came hours before the Tuesday deadline for Missouri election officials to make changes to any ballots, and ballots must be finalized before ballots begin to be sent out on Sept. 19.