The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Missouri from implementing a new congressional map that was expected to favor Republicans. The decision means the state must use its existing map, which currently results in a House delegation of six Republicans and two Democrats, for the upcoming November election.
In an order without noted dissents, the high court imposed a stay on the redistricting plan while legal challenges proceed. Opponents of the map had filed a lawsuit arguing against its implementation.
The blocked map would have altered district boundaries, including in Kansas City, potentially diminishing the Democratic strength in the 5th Congressional District represented by Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). It also would have affected the 1st Congressional District, represented by Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), potentially making it the sole Democratic-represented seat in Missouri.
Earlier in the week, a St. Louis federal judge had ordered the state Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use only the new map. This order prompted the appeal that led to the Supreme Court's stay.
Missouri’s current congressional map was established following the 2020 census. The legal battle over the new map's implementation has been ongoing since a petition submission by liberal organizers in December 2025, which the Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled suspended the new districts retroactively.