Missouri court blocks Trump-backed House map and orders statewide vote

Missouri’s Supreme Court has stopped new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump from being used in the November election, delivering a rare setback to Republicans in the national redistricting fight.

The court unanimously ruled that the map cannot take effect unless voters approve it in a statewide referendum. It said opponents legally and on time submitted more than 300,000 signatures in December, effectively putting the map on hold. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition on primary election day in August, arguing that the referendum process could not apply to congressional redistricting. The Supreme Court overturned that decision.

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The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise

“The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court said. It ruled that the map passed by the Republican-led Legislature “did not go into effect and will not go into effect unless and until approved by the voters.” The congressional map adopted after the 2020 census therefore remains in force for the November 2026 general election.

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a full-fledged constitutional crisis

The new districts had already been used in Missouri’s August primaries. Republicans had hoped the boundaries would help them win another House seat and protect their narrow majority in the midterm elections.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she would immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the decision “a full-fledged constitutional crisis.” Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who proposed the map, also criticized the ruling. Trump said on Truth Social that the justices had “ridiculously ruled in favor of changing the maps back” and argued that the election process was being disturbed close to the general election.

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ridiculously ruled in favor of changing the maps back