Supreme Court Rejects Missouri Republicans’ Push to Use New House Map in November

The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked Missouri from using a new Republican-drawn congressional map in November, dealing a rare setback to Republicans in the redistricting fight encouraged by President Donald Trump.

The justices on Tuesday allowed a decision by Missouri’s highest court to stand. That ruling said the new districts were automatically suspended after a citizen petition demanded a statewide vote. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway had argued that changing districts between the primary and general elections would violate voters’ federal rights and create confusion.

The new map had already been used in Missouri’s August primaries. But the state Supreme Court ruled in September that Missouri must return to the districts adopted after the last census. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins then assigned the redistricting referendum as Proposition A on the November ballot, complying with the court order.

Republican state officials had pursued the map after Gov. Mike Kehoe called a special legislative session at Trump’s urging. The plan targeted Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. It shifted parts of Kansas City into two neighboring Republican-held districts and extended the rest of Cleaver’s district eastward into rural Republican areas.

Missouri’s congressional delegation currently includes six Republicans and two Democrats, elected under districts approved by Republican officials in 2022. Cleaver faced no opposition in the Democratic primary, while state Sen. Rick Brattin won the Republican primary in the reshaped district. The state Supreme Court said Missouri’s constitutional provision allowing a referendum on “any act” of the Legislature also covered congressional redistricting legislation, even though the constitution does not specifically mention it.