Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Trump-Backed Missouri Congressional Map

A federal appeals court panel on Thursday heard arguments concerning an effort to reinstate new congressional districts in Missouri that were backed by former President Donald Trump. The move comes despite prior rulings from both the Missouri Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court that blocked these districts from being used in the upcoming November election.

The dispute centers on whether the state should use the Republican-drawn U.S. House districts, which were employed in the state's August primary. However, the impact of any ruling in favor of the map remains uncertain, as the U.S. Supreme Court had already blocked a lower court's order supporting the map pending a potential appeal.

As a result, Missouri is currently scheduled to conduct its November election using the same congressional districts that were in place for the 2022 and 2024 elections. Local election officials have indicated in court filings that they are already in the process of printing ballots with the existing districts. They face a Friday deadline to mail absentee ballots to overseas and military voters, with state law requiring all other absentee ballots to be available by the following Tuesday.

According to a filing by the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities, attempting to alter the districts at this late stage would be "practically impossible" and incur significant costs, estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Missouri's redistricting process has been particularly lengthy, complex, and confusing compared to other states that have redrawn their U.S. House districts over the past year. Trump had encouraged Republican-led states to redraw districts to gain a political advantage in midterm elections that determine control of Congress and influence his policy agenda.