- For the third time this month, the Supreme Court blocked Missouri from using a new congressional map that favors Republicans, ending a legal fight that created major confusion around November’s midterm elections in the state.
- The Supreme Court on Friday turned away an attempt to use a new Missouri congressional map backed by Trump, ending a long-running legal dispute as absentee voting is under way in the midterm elections.
- A panel of the eighth US circuit court of appeals ruled on Monday that switching districts between the primary and general elections would violate the US constitution.
- Absentee voting began Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts, though some local election officials had urged voters to wait because of the legal uncertainty.
- The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections.
- The Supreme Court let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used unless approved by voters in a November referendum.
- The high court wrote in an unsigned opinion that ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos, and that courts should not prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election.
- Republicans had hoped the new House map – already used in the August primaries – could help them win an additional seat as part of a nationwide redistricting battle pushed by Trump to gain an edge in the midterms.
- The legal wrangling caused confusion for more than a million potential Missouri voters – nearly one in four statewide – who were shifted from one district to another, resulting in different candidates on their ballots.
The Supreme Court's recent ruling has effectively barred Missouri from implementing a new congressional map that favored Republicans, marking the third time this month the court intervened.12378912
Absentee voting commenced under the existing 2022 districts, amidst a backdrop of legal uncertainty that has left over a million voters confused.5
“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos,” the court stated in an unsigned opinion.1011
The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled that a citizen petition necessitates voter approval for any new map, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
This ruling means voters will use the same districts as in the 2022 and 2024 elections, despite Republican hopes that the new map could secure additional seats in Congress.
The legal battles have caused significant confusion for nearly one in four Missouri voters, who have been shifted between districts, leading to different candidates on their ballots.
“Switching districts between the primary and general elections would violate the US constitution,” stated a panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.4
As absentee voting began, local officials advised caution due to the ongoing legal disputes surrounding the congressional map.
“The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections. The high court warned that ordering reversion to the 2025 map would usher in 'electoral chaos,' and noted that more than a million potential voters were shifted between districts.”
The Guardian
