The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Missouri officials seeking to use a newly drawn map of U.S. House districts for the upcoming November election. The decision effectively upholds a ruling by Missouri's Supreme Court, which had stated that the new districts were automatically put on hold by a citizen-initiated petition requiring a statewide vote.
This outcome represents a rare setback for Republicans in the ongoing redistricting process across the country, a strategy President Donald Trump had encouraged them to pursue last year. The newly drawn districts in Missouri had been used for the state's August primaries.
However, in September, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the state must revert to the congressional districts established after the most recent census. Republican State Attorney General Catherine Hanaway had argued that switching districts between the primary and general elections would infringe on federal rights and create confusion. Missouri's current congressional delegation consists of six Republicans and two Democrats, all elected under districts approved by Republican state officials in 2022.
Despite this, at Trump's direction, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe convened the state Legislature for a special session last year to redraw congressional boundaries in a way that would favor Republicans in the midterm elections.