Supreme Court Rejects Missouri’s Bid to Reinstate Redrawn Congressional Map But the Fight Isn’t Over

The state high court concluded that the 2025 map had been suspended by the referendum effort and therefore had never taken legal effect for the general election. Justices ordered Hoskins to place the issue before voters and prohibited election officials from using the new boundaries unless voters approved them.

The referendum is scheduled to appear on Missouri’s Nov. 3 ballot as Proposition A. Critics say the measure should not have been approved in the first place since the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the power to draw congressional districts, not voters.

Voters, they further argue, get a say in the matter by choosing their legislative representatives.

Missouri Republican officials next sought emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that reverting to the older districts after the state had already conducted its August primary under the 2025 boundaries would create serious election problems.

They noted that approximately 1.2 million Missourians had already voted in primaries using the newer map and argued that candidates had campaigned, raised money and competed for nominations based on districts that could suddenly cease to exist.

Kavanaugh rejected that emergency request on Sept. 8, leaving the Missouri Supreme Court ruling intact.

But only hours later, the dispute took another turn.

Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark in St. Louis issued a temporary restraining order in a separate federal lawsuit brought by Republican Rep. Bob Onder and other plaintiffs.

Clark prohibited Hoskins from using any congressional map other than the 2025 boundaries.

He concluded that switching maps after the primary raised serious federal constitutional concerns because some voters could be forced to choose among general-election candidates in districts where they had not participated in selecting the nominees.

Clark also emphasized the practical disruption that would result from changing districts with Election Day approaching.

“Candidates who had no choice but to campaign and raise money” under the new boundaries had invested resources in districts that could disappear, Clark wrote.

Hoskins responded by directing local election authorities to prepare ballots using the 2025 map.

That placed him in an extraordinary position: a federal court was directing him to use the new districts while the Missouri Supreme Court had ordered him not to.

The state Supreme Court subsequently considered whether Hoskins should be held in contempt for acting contrary to its earlier order.

People Not Politicians then returned to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The group asked the justices to suspend Clark’s federal order, arguing that Missouri law clearly prevented the 2025 map from taking effect while voters considered the referendum.

Its emergency filing emphasized that the Missouri Supreme Court had already determined that the referendum petition legally suspended the redistricting measure.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to block Clark’s order.

The ruling does not amount to a final decision on every constitutional issue raised in the federal lawsuit. Instead, it stays the district court’s temporary order while the litigation continues.

The case remains pending in the federal courts, including proceedings before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Still, with ballots soon needing to be finalized and distributed, Thursday’s decision has an immediate practical effect.

Missouri election officials are now preparing to conduct the Nov. 3 congressional elections under the 2022 map.