A federal appeals court has decided that Missouri must conduct its midterm elections using a Republican-drawn map, which the Supreme Court has already rejected twice.
On Monday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that state officials are required to implement the 2025 map for the upcoming November elections. This ruling comes even after SCOTUS indicated earlier in the month that federal judges should refrain from getting involved in this dispute, as reported by Politico.
If the map withstands legal challenges, it could allow Republicans to gain a congressional seat by altering the Kansas City district currently represented by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
The court’s decision included a permanent injunction that will be held off until September 28, giving the Supreme Court time to consider the matter, according to Democracy Docket. Central to the ruling was a constitutional argument stressing that voters need to remain in a single district for both the primary and general election.
Since Missouri already utilized the 2025 map for its primary in August, the judges determined that switching back to the 2022 map would disrupt voters, effectively placing them in two different districts. The court pointed out, with figures from the conservative Club for Growth organization, that about 1.4 million residents would find themselves in different districts based on the map in question.
Two judges supported the ruling. Judge James Loken, appointed by George H.W. Bush, and Trump appointee Judge Justin Smith made up the majority. A third judge, David Stras, also a Trump appointee, expressed the view that the group contesting the map lacked legal standing to appeal, which contradicts the Supreme Court’s prior ruling allowing those challengers some relief.
The opponents of the GOP map plan to continue their fight. The group People Not Politicians Missouri announced it will seek an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.
“Ballots have already been printed, and many Missourians have cast their votes. Thousands more will vote before this order takes effect,” stated Executive Director Richard von Glahn in a comment to Democracy Docket.
This ruling adds to a series of recent back-and-forths. Last September, Missouri’s legislature approved the new map. In response, Democrats initiated a signature campaign for a referendum that would put the new map to a public vote in November 2026, aiming to keep the old map in effect until then. However, Missouri’s Republican Secretary of State ruled the referendum illegal, a decision that was unanimously overturned by the state supreme court. Following this, state officials made an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected it on September 8. Shortly after, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark, also a Trump appointee, blocked a return to the old lines, but two days later, the Supreme Court intervened once more, suspending Clark’s order without explanation, as reported by CBS News.
With Republicans maintaining a narrow House majority, the current midterm elections typically see the president’s party losing seats.
