Missouri Congressional Map Fight Returns to US Supreme Court
 |
The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. File photo. |
WASHINGTON — September 23, 2026
A dispute over Missouri’s congressional map has returned to the US Supreme Court for the third time this month, after a federal appeals court ordered the state to use a Republican-drawn map in the November midterm elections. Opponents are asking the justices to block that decision and keep the previous district boundaries in place.
The case centers on a map adopted by Missouri Republicans in 2025 that eliminated a Kansas City-based congressional district held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver. The redrawing was part of a broader effort backed by President Donald Trump to change congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously on September 3 that the new map could not be used unless voters first approved it in a referendum. The ruling left the 2022 congressional map as the applicable boundaries for the November election.
Missouri officials then sought intervention from the US Supreme Court. Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected an emergency request on September 8, and two days later the full Supreme Court blocked a federal district court order that would have required use of the 2025 map. The justices issued the order without a public explanation or recorded dissent.
The legal dispute continued in the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals. On September 21, the appeals court ruled that Missouri should use the 2025 map because the state had already conducted its August primary under those district lines. The court directed the lower court to make its order permanent but delayed implementation to allow time for Supreme Court review.
The map’s opponents, including the group People Not Politicians, have now asked the Supreme Court to intervene again. They argue that the appeals court's decision conflicts with the high court's September 10 order blocking the new map.
The dispute has created uncertainty for election officials because candidates were selected during the August 4 primary using the 2025 districts, while the state's previous map was ordered for the November general election. Some absentee and overseas ballots have already been prepared under the earlier boundaries.
The central legal question is whether Missouri can use different congressional district boundaries for its general election after conducting its primary under the 2025 map. The 8th Circuit said doing so would violate the US Constitution and federal election law, while opponents of the new map point to the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that the 2025 boundaries cannot take effect without voter approval.
The Supreme Court's next decision will determine which map Missouri uses for the November 3 election. The case has become one of the most closely watched redistricting disputes of the 2026 election cycle because it involves conflicting rulings from state and federal courts and could affect the districts in which Missouri voters cast their ballots.
