Supreme Court Blocks Missouri From Using Republican-Drawn Congressional Map

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Missouri from using a Republican-drawn congressional map in the November 2026 midterm elections, delivering a setback to efforts to use the newly configured districts in the general election.

The justices granted an emergency request from opponents of the map, suspending a federal judge’s decision that would have required Missouri to use the newer congressional boundaries. The Supreme Court’s brief order was unsigned and did not explain the justices’ reasoning. No justice publicly dissented.

The decision appears to clear the way for Missouri to use congressional districts adopted in 2022 for the November election, as the Missouri Supreme Court had previously ordered.

Missouri Republicans adopted the newer map in 2025 as part of a redistricting effort backed by President Donald Trump. The boundaries were designed to improve Republican prospects in the state and dismantled the Kansas City-based district represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

The dispute intensified after People Not Politicians gathered more than 300,000 petition signatures seeking a statewide referendum on the new congressional districts. Missouri’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the referendum petition was legal and timely and that the new map could not take effect unless voters approved it.

The situation became more complicated when U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued an order requiring the state to use the newer map, creating a conflict with the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling. Opponents then returned to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking emergency intervention.

Thursday’s Supreme Court action suspended Clark’s order and represents the second time in three days that the nation’s highest court declined to preserve the Republican-backed map.

The dispute carries national political significance as Republicans hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House and both parties compete for control of Congress in the November midterms.