The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked an effort by a Republican state official in Missouri to utilize a newly drawn GOP congressional map for the upcoming elections. In a brief order without any recorded dissents, the high court granted an emergency application filed by the activist group People Not Politicians, which is led by Richard von Glahn. This ruling pauses a decision issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark, who had mandated the use of the new map despite the Missouri Supreme Court ruling otherwise. The outcome likely concludes the dispute over which map will govern the November midterm elections, meaning the state is expected to rely on the 2022 map featuring six seats held by Republicans and two by Democrats. The disputed Republican map aimed to remove one of Missouri’s two Democratic-held seats, currently represented by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. Attorneys for Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins argued shortly before the Supreme Court’s ruling that Clark’s order was essential to prevent the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters who cast ballots in the primary under the new map. They contended it was the sole path to running elections adhering to the federal calendar. The Trump administration also supported Hoskins, filing a brief warning that blocking Clark’s decision would threaten the orderly execution of a timely federal election. This marks the second time the core dispute has come before the Supreme Court, following Justice Kavanaugh’s Tuesday rejection of an earlier request by Hoskins to halt the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling. Simultaneously, the Missouri Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for Thursday at 11 a.m. ET requiring Hoskins to appear in person to address whether he should be held in contempt for ignoring its earlier directive. The controversy stems from a congressional map passed by Missouri Republicans in 2025 as part of a national redistricting initiative pushed by President Donald Trump. Opponents of the map successfully collected signatures to place a referendum on the ballot aimed at reversing the GOP map and suspending it for the 2026 election. Hoskins delayed deciding on the ballot measure until the last minute before rejecting it, claiming redistricting plans are immune to voter approval. However, the Missouri Supreme Court, consisting mostly of Republican appointees, ruled that state law does not exempt legislatively approved congressional maps from voter referendum challenges. The federal lawsuit was initiated by Republican nominee Rick Brattin, Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., and two voters, leading to Clark’s Tuesday ruling that forced the state to use the primary map. This legal turmoil unfolded past the Tuesday deadline for finalizing Missouri ballots, with the initial ballots scheduled to be distributed on September 19.
Source: nbcnews.com
