8th Circuit Orders Use of Missouri's 2025 Congressional Map Pending Supreme Court Review
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The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Missouri must use the 2025 congressional map for the 2026 election, though the decision is stayed pending further Supreme Court action.
A three-judge panel of the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an unsigned opinion stating that Missouri’s plan to use the 2022 congressional map for the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution, and that only the 2025 map complies with constitutional and federal requirements. The court ordered the 2025 map to be used but placed the ruling on hold for a week to allow the challengers to seek intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision follows a lower-court ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark that also required the 2025 map, despite the Missouri Supreme Court’s earlier finding that the map should be paused pending a voter referendum. The Supreme Court had previously stayed Clark’s order on September 10, effectively allowing the 2022 map—six Republican and two Democratic seats—to remain in place for the upcoming election.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a Republican, had directed election officials to use the 2022 map after a delayed decision on whether to place the new map on the ballot. The delay occurred after the Missouri Supreme Court held Hoskins in contempt for not complying with its order to hold the 2025 map pending a referendum.
"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," said Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, the group challenging the map.
The appeals court’s panel included judges appointed by Republican presidents, two of whom were selected by President Donald Trump. The ruling adds another layer to the ongoing legal battle over Missouri’s congressional redistricting, which aims to eliminate one of the state’s two Democratic districts.