Missouri Takes Emergency Fight Over Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Supreme Court
Missouri officials are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in an escalating redistricting battle that could determine which congressional map the state uses in November’s midterm elections.
The emergency appeal comes just days before Missouri must finalize its general-election ballot, leaving the nation’s highest court with an extraordinarily narrow window to act.
Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed the request Friday after the Missouri Supreme Court prevented the state from continuing to use its newly approved congressional districts. The state court instead ruled that the map’s fate must be decided by Missouri voters through a statewide referendum.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who oversees emergency applications originating from Missouri and other states in the region, ordered the map’s opponents to submit their response by Monday.
Hanaway wants the Supreme Court to freeze the state court’s ruling immediately, allowing election officials to proceed with the same congressional boundaries used in the August primary.
“We have just appealed yesterday’s catastrophic ruling to the Supreme Court of the United States,” Hanaway said, adding that the state’s ability to conduct timely congressional elections was at stake.
Missouri’s deadline for making changes to the November ballot arrives Tuesday, creating significant uncertainty for election officials, candidates and voters.
The legal fight centers on a congressional map enacted last year by Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe. The mid-decade redistricting effort received the support of President Donald Trump.
Under the new boundaries, Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district would absorb additional Republican-leaning territory. The changes could potentially expand the GOP’s advantage in Missouri’s congressional delegation from 6-2 to 7-1.
Democratic activists and other opponents of the plan responded by collecting more than 300,000 signatures in support of a November referendum that would give voters the final word on whether the map remains in effect.
Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition, maintaining that the Missouri Constitution does not authorize referendums on congressional redistricting measures.
Although a lower court initially agreed with Hoskins, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned that decision Thursday. The state’s highest court found that the referendum petition was lawful, sufficient and submitted on time.
Missouri law automatically suspends legislation challenged through a valid referendum. Based on that provision, the state Supreme Court determined that the new map never legally became effective and cannot be used again unless voters approve it.
The ruling would force Missouri to conduct the November election under the congressional districts adopted after the 2020 census, even though candidates and voters participated in the August primary using the newer map.
Hanaway and Hoskins contend that imposing different district boundaries for the primary and general election would produce severe administrative disruption and could run afoul of federal election requirements.
In its Supreme Court filing, the state argued that no American court has ever required congressional boundaries to be changed between a primary and the corresponding general election. Officials also warned that there may not be enough time to reassign voters and implement the older map correctly.
Hoskins said approximately 1.2 million Missourians participated in the August primary under the Trump-backed boundaries, raising concerns that a last-minute reversal could create confusion and undermine the orderly administration of the election.
Opponents insist the transition remains manageable. County election officials told the Missouri Supreme Court that the previous districts could be restored through the state’s voter-registration system.
The state court also faulted Hoskins for waiting until the August primary to reject the referendum petition, concluding that his delay helped create the logistical crisis Missouri officials now cite as justification for emergency relief.
President Trump denounced Thursday’s decision as “ridiculous” and warned that too little time remains to replace the map before the midterms.
Cleaver, whose district would be reshaped under the Republican plan, celebrated the decision. He argued that more than 305,000 Missourians had demanded a vote and that citizens should have a direct voice in determining the map’s future.
The controversy has now placed another politically consequential election dispute before the U.S. Supreme Court during its summer recess.
Fox News reported that Kavanaugh could rule on Missouri’s emergency request individually or refer the matter to the full Court.
With the opposition’s response due Monday and Missouri’s ballot deadline arriving Tuesday, the justices’ next move could determine whether November’s election proceeds under the post-2020 boundaries or the Trump-backed districts already used by Missouri voters in August.