Missouri Supreme Court Halts Use of Trump-Backed Congressional Map for November Election
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The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously barred the newly drawn congressional districts supported by President Trump from being used in the November 2024 election and ordered a statewide referendum on the map.
The Missouri Supreme Court voted unanimously on Thursday to block the congressional map drawn by the Republican-led Legislature and backed by President Donald Trump from being used in the November general election. The court also required voters to decide in a statewide referendum whether to adopt the new districts.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, said the ruling would be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, describing the decision as creating a "constitutional crisis" for the state. The court found that a petition filed by opponents, supported by more than 300,000 signatures, was legal, sufficient and timely, overturning the Secretary of State’s earlier rejection of the referendum.
"The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise," the court wrote.
The ruling means the map used in the August primaries cannot be applied to the November race and will remain inactive unless voters approve it. Under the current law, the 2020 census-based districts will stay in effect for the 2026 election.
The dispute follows a special legislative session called by Governor Mike Kehoe after Trump urged states to redraw districts for a midterm advantage. The session produced a dramatically altered 5th Congressional District, previously held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, and led to Republican Rick Brattin winning the Republican primary in the newly configured district.
Cleaver, who was unopposed in the primary, said he would continue his campaign regardless of the court’s decision. Brattin, a Marine veteran, questioned Cleaver’s ability to represent the expanded district.
The Missouri case is one of several nationwide challenges to mid-decade redistricting efforts that began after the 2020 census, with Republicans seeking to gain additional House seats. The court’s decision also reversed a separate ruling that had barred a citizen-initiated ballot measure, ordering that measure to appear on the November ballot.
Activists from the group People Not Politicians gathered outside the court after the decision, urging voters to have a say in the map’s fate.