The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Missouri from using a newly drawn Republican congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, granting an emergency request by challengers and leaving a 2022 map in place.
The emergency order from the nation’s highest court temporarily halts a federal district judge’s ruling that had ordered the state to use the reconfigured boundaries. The underlying legal clash stems from a map enacted by Missouri Republicans in 2025 as part of a nationwide redistricting push, which aimed to dismantle the Kansas City-based seat of longtime Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, according to the reporting from USA Today. Republicans currently hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Supreme Court Intervention Overturns Lower District Order
The brief Supreme Court order was unsigned and noted no dissents, following an emergency request filed by a coalition of map opponents led by activist Richard von Glahn under the banner of People Not Politicians. The justices acted swiftly to suspend a decision issued Tuesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark in St. Louis. Clark had ruled that the newly drawn map must be implemented for the November 3 elections, directly conflicting with a unanimous September 3 ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court that had blocked the new boundaries until voters could weigh in via a state referendum.
The federal lawsuit supporting the Republican map was brought by state Republican nominee Rick Brattin, Representative Bob Onder, and two voters. Attorneys defending the map argued that Clark’s order was preventing the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters who participated in the primary election under the new district lines. The Trump administration also filed a brief backing Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, warning that blocking Clark’s ruling would jeopardize state officials’ ability to conduct a timely and lawful federal election.
Missouri Supreme Court Weighs Contempt Proceedings Against Denny Hoskins
While the federal battle played out in Washington, the Missouri Supreme Court gave Secretary of State Denny Hoskins a cool reception during a separate hearing on Thursday to consider whether to hold him in contempt for defying its previous orders. Justices questioned Hoskins and his legal counsel regarding whether the state would comply with the mandate to revert to the 2022 congressional map.
William Seidleck, an attorney representing Hoskins from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, told the state justices that his client would comply with the state court order requiring the use of the 2022 map unless and until
an intervening federal court decision dictates otherwise. Chief Justice Brent Powell instructed Hoskins not to venture far from Jefferson City while the court weighs the contempt motion and pressed him to issue updated guidance to local election officials.
Powell expressed concern that ongoing legal disputes could create prolonged uncertainty after the election regarding the legitimacy of the state’s congressional delegation, noting that we are in a precarious situation
as first ballots are scheduled to go out to voters on September 19.
Referendum Clash and Upcoming November Election Fallout
The broader dispute originated when opponents of the Republican redistricting plan gathered petition signatures for a state referendum designed to undo the map and put it on hold for the 2026 vote. Hoskins delayed a decision on the ballot measure until the last minute before rejecting it, asserting that redistricting plans are exempt from voter approval. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected that argument, ruling that state law contains no exemption preventing voters from challenging maps passed by the legislature.
The law is the law, the Missouri constitution is clear, as was the Missouri Supreme Court,
von Glahn said in a statement reported by NBC News, adding that Hoskins had shown he cannot effectively carry out his elected duties.
With the emergency stay in place, Missouri is expected to conduct its November congressional elections using the 2022 map, preserving the current partisan split of six Republican seats and two Democratic seats.
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