The U.S. Supreme Court once again rejected Missouri's efforts to implement a congressional map that Republicans had redrawn to gain an additional House seat. This decision, which came after a last-ditch appeal from the state, means Missouri cannot use the new districts unless voters approve them in a ballot referendum, as per the state's highest court. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, responsible for emergency litigation from Missouri, refused to overturn the state court's prior ruling that deemed the new map invalid.
This ruling marks the second time in the week that the Supreme Court intervened, following an initial block of the new map. The decision appears to clear the way for Missouri to use a map passed in 2022, despite the state having used the Trump-backed map in its primary elections. The legal battle has caused considerable confusion for voters and election officials, especially with ballots for military and overseas voters due to be sent out shortly.
Republicans, including President Donald Trump, had advocated for the new maps, which aimed to secure seven of Missouri's eight House seats in the midterm elections by restructuring a Kansas City-based district. However, the Supreme Court's consistent rejections of these attempts, with no public dissents from the justices, represent an unusual election-related setback for Republicans at the conservative-leaning court. The state's Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, had faced contempt proceedings from the Missouri Supreme Court for initially instructing local election authorities to use the new map, despite conflicting court orders.
