Missouri Supreme Court Blocks Republican Congressional Map

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that the state must use previous congressional district boundaries for the November 2026 general election. The decision blocks a redrawn map passed by Republicans in September 2025 at the request of Donald Trump, which was designed to eliminate the seat of Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.

The court found that while legislators had the authority to redraw the map, the new boundaries should have been suspended pending a referendum process. This ruling follows a legal challenge by People Not Politicians Missouri after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify a veto referendum petition containing over 300,000 signatures. The court ordered that a referendum on the map's validity be included on the November ballot.

The decision reverses the state's course after primary elections had already been conducted using the new boundaries. The ruling also resolves a technical dispute regarding the feasibility of reverting maps mid-cycle. While Missouri Solicitor General Lou Capozzi and Judge Daniel Green argued that such a switch would be catastrophically disruptive, county clerks Brianna Lennon and Rachel Lightfoot had filed an amicus brief asserting that the state's voter registration system could easily accommodate both the 2022 and 2025 maps.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway condemned the ruling as an unprecedented violation of federal law and a constitutional crisis, vowing to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.