The fight over Missouri’s congressional map appears headed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a third time in three weeks as some federal judges continue to assert that a new map favored by President Donald Trump should be used in the November elections.
asserted
map → head → elections
The U.S. Supreme Court, so far, has disagreed.
asserted
Court → disagree → ?
It has instead let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ordered the state to use the same U.S. House districts as it did during the 2024 and 2022 elections.
asserted
it → let → elections
A third decision from the nation’s top court could finally put the dispute to rest and provide some certainty for more than a million potential voters who have been shuffled back and forth between districts, causing confusion about which candidates will be on their ballots.
uncertain
candidates → put → ballots
Here’s a look at the legal dispute over the districts:
asserted
look → ’ → districts
Missouri court says new map can’t be used unless voters approve
The state Supreme Court ruled Sept. 3 that new congressional districts passed a year ago by the Republican-led state Legislature cannot be used unless voters first approve them.
asserted
voters → say → them
Those districts, backed by Trump, were designed to help Republicans win an additional seat in the midterm elections.
asserted
Republicans → back → elections
The court pointed to the Missouri Constitution, which allows citizens to submit petitions for a statewide referendum on acts passed by the Legislature.
asserted
citizens → point → Legislature
The constitution says that when measures are referred to the ballot, they take effect only when approved by voters.
asserted
they → say → voters
In this case, redistricting opponents submitted thousands of referendum petition signatures in December.
asserted
opponents → submit → December
Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins waited until a deadline on Aug. 4 — the same day Missouri’s primaries were held using the new districts — to reject the petition.
asserted
primaries → wait → petition
Hoskins asserted that referendum petitions aren’t allowed on congressional redistricting.
asserted
petitions → assert → redistricting
The state Supreme Court said Hoskins was wrong.
asserted
Hoskins → say → ?
The court said the referendum petition prevented the new map from taking effect, retroactive to December.
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petition → say → December
That means the August primary was held under districts that aren’t in law.
asserted
that → mean → law
The court said the November election must be held under the only districts still in state law — a map adopted in 2022 after the most recent census.
asserted
election → say → census
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who handles cases from Missouri, let that decision stand on Sept. 8.
asserted
decision → handle → Sept.
Federal judges say districts can’t be changed after a primary
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the U.S. Constitution prohibits congressional districts from being changed between the primary and general election.
The Constitution doesn’t explicitly say that.
asserted
Constitution → say → that
But the judges pointed to a constitutional provision requiring U.S. House members to be elected every two years by voters in each state.
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judges → point → state
They then cited prior court cases, which held that primaries can be an integral part of a state’s general election laws.
asserted
primaries → cite → laws
And they noted that more than a million potential voters — about 1 in 4 statewide — would be shifted between the new and old districts, meaning they had no say in the primary about the congressional candidates appearing on their general election ballots.
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they → note → ballots
The judges concluded that would deny those voters a constitutional right to choose their representatives.
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that → conclude → representatives
The appeals panel directed U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark to issue a new order barring Missouri from using anything other than the districts already used in the August primary.
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panel → direct → primary
Clark quickly complied.
asserted
Clark → comply → ?
Clark had issued a similar temporary order Sept. 8, which the U.S. Supreme Court put on hold two days later.
asserted
Court → issue → hold
Opponents of the new map plan to ask the Supreme Court to also block the latest order.
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Opponents → plan → order
Timing can play a role in election court cases
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Timing → play → cases
Throughout Missouri’s lengthy legal battle over redistricting, supporters and opponents of the new congressional map have taken turns arguing it’s too late for courts to order any changes.
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courts → take → changes
Under its Purcell principle, named for a 2006 case out of Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that judges shouldn’t change voting or election rules too close to an election.
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judges → name → election
As a result of the recent U.S. and Missouri Supreme Court decisions, absentee voting already is underway in Missouri using the 2022 congressional districts.
asserted
voting → use → districts
Opponents of the new map argue it’s too late to switch back to it.
asserted
it → argue → it
But supporters of the new districts also have cited the Purcell principle, arguing that it’s too late to switch away from the districts used in the August primary.
asserted
it → cite → primary
The appeals panel agreed, saying that using the 2025 map would cause the least confusion for voters.
asserted
using → agree → voters
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