- The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump-backed Missouri congressional map, ordering its use for the upcoming election, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's previous rulings on the matter.
- The appeals court's ruling is on hold for a week to allow opponents to seek intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Opponents of the new map, including the group People Not Politicians, have announced plans to file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- The Missouri Legislature drew a new congressional map last year aiming for a 7-1 GOP advantage by redistricting to eliminate Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's district.
- After the new map was drawn, opponents gathered signatures to challenge it through a voter referendum, but Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition.
- The Missouri Supreme Court previously ruled that the 2022 map must be used for the November election, reversing Hoskins' rejection of the petition.
- U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark ruled that the new map must be used, but the U.S. Supreme Court put that ruling on hold on September 10.
A federal appeals court has ordered Missouri to use a Trump-backed congressional map in the November election, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's previous ruling against it. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the current plan violates the Constitution, favoring the new map drawn last year.
The three-judge panel, comprised of Republican-appointed judges, directed a lower court to issue a permanent injunction against using any map other than the one favored by Trump. However, the ruling is on hold for a week, allowing opponents to file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.23
Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, criticized the ruling, stating, “Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted.” He urged officials to focus on administering elections rather than engaging in legal battles. The Supreme Court had previously blocked the enforcement of the new map, which aims to reshape districts to favor Republicans, potentially allowing them to win seven of the state’s eight House seats.
Local election officials have already sent absentee ballots using the 2022 districts, and changing the map at this stage would be “practically impossible” and costly, according to the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities. The appeals court emphasized that the Constitution does not permit using a different map in the November election than in the August primary.
The legal battle continues as the state prepares for the upcoming election, with significant implications for Missouri's political landscape.
“The appeals panel, composed of two Trump appointees and one George H.W. Bush appointee, directed a lower court to issue a permanent injunction against using any other map. More than a million Missouri voters, nearly 1 in 4 statewide, are affected by the redistricting, according to an Associated Press estimate.”
