- The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Missouri to use its 2022 congressional map in the 2026 election, blocking the state from using a newer map that could have benefited Republicans in the upcoming midterm.
- The unsigned order drew no noted dissents, with the justices making clear that lower courts should neither prohibit use of Missouri’s 2022 map nor require the state to use the 2025 map.
- The order states: "The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri."
- The order also states: "And the District Court and Court of Appeals should not order or otherwise require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri."
- The ruling effectively ends the immediate legal wrangling over which congressional map Missouri will use for the 2026 election, leaving the older boundaries in place.
- At the urging of Trump and Gov. Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers passed revised districts that reshaped Cleaver’s 5th Congressional District, stretching it eastward into rural Republican areas, with about 59% of potential voters new to the district.
- A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled Monday that switching districts between primary and general elections would violate the U.S. Constitution, directing a district judge to bar use of anything other than the new map but delaying the order to allow appeal.
The Supreme Court's ruling on Friday has effectively put an end to a contentious legal battle over Missouri's congressional map, ensuring that voters will use the same districts as in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Republicans had hoped the new map, which was designed to favor their party, would help them gain an additional seat in the upcoming midterms.
However, the justices emphasized that switching maps at this late stage could lead to 'electoral chaos.'
Absentee voting had already begun under the 2022 map, and the court's decision aims to maintain stability for over a million Missouri voters who faced confusion due to the proposed changes.
“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 its unsigned opinion.
Missouri's new map was initially passed last September at the urging of Trump and Republican officials, but it faced significant legal challenges, including a ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court that required voter approval for any new map.
“I think my reelection prospects shot up significantly,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who benefited from the ruling.
Election officials expressed relief at the decision, with Kansas City election director Shawn Kieffer calling it “a big sigh of relief.”
As a result, Missouri will continue to use its 2022 congressional districts, avoiding the complications that would have arisen from implementing the new map mid-election.
“The unsigned order drew no noted dissents, with the justices warning that reverting to the 2025 map would 'usher in electoral chaos.' The ruling lets stand a Missouri Supreme Court decision requiring voter approval in a November referendum, leaving residents to vote under the 2022 districts.”
foxnews.com
