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Supreme Court Rejects Missouri's GOP Map
Confirmed
In Short: The Supreme Court, with no dissents, upheld a state court order requiring Missouri to use the 2022 election map, which favors Republicans in six of the eight districts but preserves a key seat for Democrats.
The Supreme Court, with no dissents, upheld a state court order requiring Missouri to use the 2022 election map, which favors Republicans in six of the eight districts but preserves a key seat for Democrats.
On Tuesday, opponents of the newly drawn GOP-friendly map appealed to the Supreme Court for the third time, marking a defining moment in a legal battle that has lasted nearly a year.
Voters sued and won a unanimous decision from the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 3, leading to a series of appeals and rulings.
The Supreme Court’s decision noted that it was not clear that the state was required to use the 2025 map and that the election had already started.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the full court granted the appeal and blocked the judge’s order from taking effect on Sept. 10.
The Supreme Court said it was too late to revert to the Republican-drawn map, emphasizing that lower federal courts should not alter election rules on the eve of an election.
Missouri Republicans had targeted one particular congressional seat currently held by a Democrat, but the Supreme Court’s ruling could give Democrats a boost in their effort to win the House in the midterm elections.
The state high court ordered officials to hold November’s election under the 2022 map, despite challenges from Republicans.
The ruling urged lower courts not to again order the state to use the 2025 lines, emphasizing the complexity of conducting an orderly 2026 election.
The Supreme Court’s decision highlights the ongoing legal battles over redistricting and the challenges of altering election rules close to election day.
What this adds
The Supreme Court's ruling preserves the 2022 map, which was used in the primary but was later challenged.
The decision underscores the Supreme Court's role in resolving disputes over election rules and redistricting.
Background
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that Missouri cannot use its new gerrymandered congressional map for this year's midterm elections.
The Supreme Court could act at any time on a case involving Missouri's Republican-drawn 2025 congressional map, which is currently the subject of legal disputes.
What's confirmed
- The Supreme Court, with no dissents, upheld a state court order requiring Missouri to use the 2022 election map, which favors Republicans in six of the eight districts but preserves a key seat for Democrats.
- On Tuesday, opponents of the newly drawn GOP-friendly map appealed to the Supreme Court for the third time, marking a defining moment in a legal battle that has lasted nearly a year.
- Voters sued and won a unanimous decision from the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 3, leading to a series of appeals and rulings.
- The Supreme Court’s decision noted that it was not clear that the state was required to use the 2025 map and that the election had already started.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the full court granted the appeal and blocked the judge’s order from taking effect on Sept. 10.
- The Supreme Court said it was too late to revert to the Republican-drawn map, emphasizing that lower federal courts should not alter election rules on the eve of an election.
- Missouri Republicans had targeted one particular congressional seat currently held by a Democrat, but the Supreme Court’s ruling could give Democrats a boost in their effort to win the House in the midterm elections.
- The state high court ordered officials to hold November’s election under the 2022 map, despite challenges from Republicans.
- The ruling urged lower courts not to again order the state to use the 2025 lines, emphasizing the complexity of conducting an orderly 2026 election.
- The Supreme Court’s decision highlights the ongoing legal battles over redistricting and the challenges of altering election rules close to election day.
What's still developing
- The Supreme Court blocked that because citizens had gathered petitions to make the redistricting subject to voter approval.
- Cleaver told me he was grateful that Missourians went through the referendum process.
- SIMON: And now the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on this conflict between the other courts.
- And late yesterday, the Republican plan for Missouri was rejected by the U.S.
- The group argued that the appellate court effectively ignored the prior ruling from the Supreme Court.
- In their Supreme Court filing, state officials argued that it would be almost impossible to conduct an orderly 2026 election at this point; using the 2025 map would require missing a federal deadline to distribute mail ballots and using the 2022 one would open up challenges to the eligibility of candidates currently running for the House.
- “Yet the honest truth is that — regardless of what this Court does — Missouri will not be able to run an orderly 2026 General Election,” the filing said.
- Clark of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ruled in Onder’s case that Missouri must use the 2025 lines because of the primary.
- Days later, the Supreme Court paused that ruling and sent it back to the lower court pending final decisions.
Sources
- Los Angeles Timeslink
- NPRlink
- Roll Calllink
- Politicolink
- CBS Newslink
- MS NOWlink
- NBC Newslink
- Justthenewslink
- Sgfcitizenlink
- Fox Newslink
- Westernjournallink
- Newstribunelink
- Washingtonsunlink
- Democracydocketlink
- Warpbeatlink
- WarpBeat — background on Supreme Court Blocks Missouri's New Gerrymandered Map for 2026 Elections link
- NBC News — video link