Supreme Court to Hear Missouri Redistricting Case for Third Time
Justice Brett Kavanaugh accepted an emergency appeal, sending the divisive 2025 map back to the nation's highest court.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a Missouri redistricting case for a third time after Justice Brett Kavanaugh accepted a request to intervene. The divisive redistricting map drawn in 2025, which would grant Republicans an additional House seat, has been the subject of a legal back-and-forth between federal and state courts.
A federal judge in Missouri ruled in favor of the 2025 map last month, but the Supreme Court placed a stay on that ruling two weeks ago. Opponents of the map filed an emergency appeal late Tuesday night after the St. Louis-based Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the new map on Monday.
Kavanaugh, who handles emergency requests for Missouri, directed supporters of the new map to respond to the appeal by Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. This development marks the latest chapter in a legal battle that has seen the map ascend and descend through various courts.
The case originated when Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition for the 2025 map to be placed on the ballot for a vote in 2026. Instead, the new map was used to determine congressional districts for the state's primary elections.
A Democratic group, People Not Politicians, asked a state court to intervene, asserting that their petition of 300,000 signatures should have triggered a referendum on the new map. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed, ruling that the 2025 map could not take effect unless approved by voters in the November 2026 general election.
Hoskins then appealed to the Supreme Court, but Kavanaugh declined to hear his request on September 4. Concurrently, Republican candidates who won primary elections under the 2025 maps initiated a separate federal court case. They argued that holding the general election under the 2022 map would create significant discrepancies from the primary maps and that general election voters would be presented with choices they did not have a role in selecting during the primaries.
Eighth Circuit Judge Stephen R. Clark sided with these candidates, issuing an order that mandated the use of the 2025 maps for the current elections, which appeared to contradict the state Supreme Court's ruling. In response, People Not Politicians asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Kavanaugh agreed, and the court issued an order blocking Clark's decision until the Eighth Circuit could issue a formal ruling. The Eighth Circuit subsequently expedited the case and ruled in favor of the 2025 map.
People Not Politicians filed their most recent request for intervention on Tuesday night, contending that the prior ruling against the new map remained in effect. They also pointed to statements from Missouri election officials indicating that it is too late to alter the maps for the upcoming elections. The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities has stated it will not use the 2025 map for the November elections, citing insufficient time to print new ballots.
"Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted. Thousands more will vote before this order seeks to take effect. Officials should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on pointless legal action and instead focus on administering our elections," Richard von Glahn, director of People Not Politicians, said in a statement.