The Supreme Court rejected a mid-decade congressional redistricting map in Missouri amid the continuing gerrymandering wars in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms.
In a setback for Republicans, Missouri will have to use the map drawn in 2022 and used in the 2022 and 2024 elections. The maps could have a major impact on who controls the House of Representatives.
The 2025 map was believed to net Republicans an additional House seat.
The high court issued the order Friday evening. The ruling had no noted dissents, The Associated Press reported.
“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos,” an unsigned opinion said. “The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.”
The ruling demonstrates that different facts and points of law in each state redistricting case can impact the outcome. The high court likewise rejected a Democrat-friendly Virginia congressional map but upheld a Republican-friendly map in Texas and a Democrat-friendly map in California.
In the Missouri case Friday, the justices reversed an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Monday to keep the map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. The new district was used in the August primary, and the appeals court determined it would be unconstitutional to switch districts between a primary and general election.
The Supreme Court instead let a Missouri Supreme Court ruling stand. The state’s high court determined that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used without first being approved in a November referendum.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
