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The Supreme Court has denied Missouri Republicans' request to implement a new congressional map for the upcoming midterm elections. On Tuesday (September 8), the court upheld a Missouri Supreme Court decision that blocked the map, which would have eliminated one of the state's two Democrat-held seats. Missouri currently has six Republican-held seats and two Democrat-held seats.
The decision, issued by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was not referred to the full court, suggesting the emergency appeal was not deemed significant enough. The map, enacted last year, was used in the state's primary election in August. However, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that a petition with over 300,000 signatures, allowing voters to decide on the map via referendum, was wrongly dismissed.
The rejected map targeted the 5th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, by altering its Kansas City base to include more rural, Republican-leaning areas. Missouri officials argued that the state court's decision would lead to "federal-election-administration disaster" and "unprecedented chaos," but opponents of the map countered that any election emergency was the state's own doing.
The Supreme Court's decision means Missouri will likely use an earlier version of the map. The Missouri Attorney General's office expressed disappointment and is evaluating next steps. The ruling is part of a broader legal battle over redistricting, with several states facing similar challenges.