A federal appeals court ordered Missouri to use a congressional map favoring Republicans that the U.S. Supreme Court halted.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that Missouri must use a congressional map passed in 2025 for the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling comes after a drawn out legal battle between the state legislature, Missouri Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court.
The 2025 map is expected to favor Republicans an additional seat in the state. The appeals court said Missouri voters must operate under the same map as was used in the Aug. 4 primary election.
"The Constitution does not permit Missouri to use a different congressional district map in the November 2026 general election than it used in the August 2026 primary election," the appeals court wrote.
The high court cited $6.5 million used in broadcast ads, 1.4 million Missouri residents living in different districts under the two congressional maps to justify its decision affirming the 2025 maps.
"The result is that, if the 2022 map is used in the November 2026 general election, some Missouri voters will have more say than others on who represents them in Congress," the appeals court wrote.
The U.S. Supreme Court twice rejected efforts to adopt new congressional maps. The high court cited the Missouri Supreme Court, which found that any measure enacted by the state legislature is subject to a citizens referendum.
More than 300,000 individuals signed a petition to urge a vote on the congressional map. However, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins voided the petition before the primary election and moved forward with the redrawn 2025 map.
The majority of justices on the high court agreed that Missouri must use congressional maps from 2022 for the upcoming elections until a referendum is held on the 2025 maps.
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., whose district was affected by the redistricting move, slammed the state's previous efforts to overrule the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that struck down the 2025 maps.
"It is my hope that state officials will start following court orders and end this shameful attempt to break Missouri law and silence Missouri voters," Cleaver wrote on social media.
The case will likely head back up to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to determine what map can be used moving forward. The nation's highest court is expected to pause the most recent decision.
A judge in a robe holds a gavel over a desk in a courtroom. Photo: Shopify Partners / Burst
