Missouri Supreme Court halts new GOP map for November pending vote
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that voters must decide on weather to approve a new congressional map before it can be implemented, reversing earlier decisions by officials that sought to keep the Republican-backed map off the ballot. As an inevitable result, Missouri will continue using its previous congressional boundaries for the 2026 midterm elections, wiht a referendum on the new map scheduled for November. The dispute originated from a 2022 redistricting plan enacted after the 2020 census,which aimed to give Republicans an advantage in certain districts,especially targeting Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s district. A group collected over 300,000 signatures to challenge the map through a veto referendum, but the Secretary of State rejected the effort, leading to legal battles. The court’s decision requires voters to weigh in on the map, despite criticism from former President Donald trump, who called the ruling “unconstitutional” and a disruption to the electoral process. The ruling has resulted in candidates competing under the old boundaries in November, even tho primaries had already been held using the new map.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday squashed Republicans‘ plans to implement a new congressional map before November, ruling voters must first decide on whether to approve the new district lines.
The unanimous decision means Missouri will use its previous congressional map, drawn after the 2020 census, for the 2026 midterm elections. A referendum asking voters to approve the Republican-backed replacement will appear on the November ballot.
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By ruling that voters should decide, the court reversed decisions by Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and a lower court that sought to keep the referendum off the ballot and allow elections to proceed under the new boundaries.
Republicans hold six of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats, and the new lines were designed to give the party an advantage in a seventh. The biggest change targeted Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-MO) Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District by adding more GOP-leaning areas.
The court battle stems from a congressional map approved by Missouri lawmakers last year as part of President Donald Trump’s push for GOP-controlled states to redraw their maps before the midterm elections, which drew opposition from Democrats and voting rights groups.
One group, People Not Politicians, gathered more than 300,000 signatures in an effort to force a veto referendum on the map. Under Missouri law, voters can challenge enacted legislation through a referendum if supporters gather enough signatures and subsequently win a majority of votes in a statewide election.
Hoskins then rejected the referendum petition, prompting the legal challenge over whether the signatures should have halted implementation of the congressional map. Following the rejections, Missouri used the GOP-backed map in its primary elections.
Trump took issue with the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision, sounding off on Truth Social that the decision was “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional.”
BY THE NUMBERS: HOW MANY SEATS HAS EACH PARTY GAINED IN REDISTRICTING?
“The Missouri Supreme Court just ridiculously ruled in favor of changing the maps back to what they were a long time ago,” Trump said. “It’s called, Ancient History! The problem is, according to Legal Scholars, that not only was the ruling horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional, but there won’t be enough time to change the map back with the Election coming up in a very short period of time. The Election Process, as usual, is being disturbed in America! Missouri must be able to use the map that was in effect just a couple of months ago, in the Primary. This is a Dark Day for ‘Justice’ in Missouri!”
The decision creates an unusual situation for congressional candidates because Missouri held its primaries using the Republican-drawn maps. Six of the state’s eight districts were changed under the plan. Candidates will now compete in November under the previous boundaries.
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