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WASHINGTON – For the third time, the Supreme Court on Friday shut down efforts by Missouri Republicans to use a new congressional map in the midterm elections that are already underway.
The court blocked an appeals court ruling that sought to revive the 2025 map despite two previous Supreme Court decisions and a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that ruled against Republicans on the same issue. There were no dissents.
“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the middle of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos,” the ruling said.
In addition, the Judge an emergency application granted by People Not Politicians, the group challenging the new map.
The election will continue with a 2022 map that includes six seats held by Republicans and two by Democrats. The state has already begun sending ballots to military and overseas voters, and some absentee voting began Tuesday.
The Supreme Court cited the fact that Missouri had already begun its voting processes in its argument.
“This court has repeatedly cautioned that ‘lower federal courts do not change a state’s election rules’ on the eve of an election,” the ruling said. “The election is not only approaching, it has already begun.”
The proposed 2025 map would have eliminated one of the Democratic seats held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
The Missouri map was part of a national push by Republicans to address President Donald Trump’s urge to draw new congressional districts that favor their candidates. Democrats in other states, including California, responded by drawing new maps as well.
The St. The Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday overturned that decision.
The appeals court ruled that the state must partially use the 2025 map because the primary election has already taken place with it. But in a conflicting ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court said the 2022 map must be used, while making it clear that Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a Republican, was to blame for the confusion.
The state Supreme Court eventually held Hoskins in contempt for his actions.
In its ruling Friday, the Supreme Court wrote that Hoskins was “well aware that the August primary election with the 2025 map carries significant risks,” citing a May opinion of the state Supreme Court that made clear that the new map would not take effect before the 2026 election.
The court battle began after opponents of the new map received enough signatures to trigger a state referendum on whether it should be used. Under state law, whenever a state law is subject to a referendum, it is suspended until after the vote takes place.
But Hoskins delayed a decision on whether the referendum push was legitimate until the eve of the primary. He rejected the proposal and ordered the new card to be used.
The Missouri Supreme Court then quickly ruled that there was no reason to reject the referendum proposal and that, with the question being put to voters in November, the map should stop and the 2022 districts be used instead.
The lawsuit appeared to be over until a new lawsuit was filed Sept. 4 by Rick Brattin, the Republican candidate in Cleaver’s district, as well as Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., and two constituents.
That moved the fight to federal court, where Missouri-based U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark ruled that the new map should be used. This decision ultimately led to the judgment of the Court of Appeal and intervention by the Supreme Court.
