Federal Judge Orders Use of New Missouri Congressional Map Favoring Republicans Amid Ongoing Legal Battles

A U.S. district judge issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday that permits Missouri to use a newly drawn congressional map that leans Republican, citing potential "irreparable harm" to voters who would otherwise cast ballots for candidates they did not help nominate. The ruling came shortly after the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from state officials who sought to keep the map in place for the November election.

The Supreme Court left intact a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court that the new districts could not be used because a citizen petition forced a statewide vote, effectively reverting the state to the older post-census map. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request to stay the district judge’s order, stating it either lacked jurisdiction or that the stay factors were not met. The case was then taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, where Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked the plaintiffs supporting the new map to file a response by Thursday.

Missouri’s new districts, approved by the state legislature last year, would significantly reshape Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area seat, turning it more favorable to Republicans. The revised map was used in the August primaries, but the state Supreme Court ruled that the districts must be abandoned because the petition signatures were submitted before the map was finalized.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who appealed to the Supreme Court, argued that changing districts between the primary and general elections would violate federal voting rights and cause confusion. She described the situation as a potential "federal-election-administration disaster" and warned of "unprecedented chaos" if the map were not used.

Republican Governor Mike Kehoe called a special legislative session last year at President Donald Trump’s urging to redraw the boundaries, targeting the 5th Congressional District held by Cleaver. The redrawn district shifted parts of Kansas City into neighboring Republican-held districts and extended the remainder into rural Republican areas.

State officials, including Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, have argued that Missouri’s constitution does not permit a referendum on congressional redistricting, a position initially upheld by a lower court but later reversed by the state Supreme Court. The court ordered the referendum to appear on the November ballot as Proposition A.

The legal dispute adds uncertainty to the boundaries that will be used in the November election, with both parties closely watching the outcome as it could affect the balance of Missouri’s congressional delegation, currently six Republicans and two Democrats.