Full Breakdown
Missouri Redistricting Fight Returns to Supreme Court for a Third Time
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 23 2026, challengers to Missouri’s 2025 Republican-drawn congressional map filed an emergency petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit order that would require the state to use that map in the November 3 general election. The petition follows two earlier Supreme Court interventions that left the 2022 map in place for the November vote.
Background & Context
In 2025 the Republican-controlled General Assembly, urged by President Donald Trump, adopted a new map that would shift Missouri from a 6-2 to a 7-1 partisan split, dismantling Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district. Advocacy group People Not Politicians gathered more than 300,000 signatures to trigger a state-constitutional referendum. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition on August 4 2026, the day of the primary, prompting the Missouri Supreme Court to rule on September 3 2026 that the 2025 map could not take effect until voters approved it. Because the primary had already been held under the 2025 lines, a federal lawsuit was filed by Republican candidates Bob Onder and Rick Brattin seeking to keep those lines for the general election.
Timeline
- August 4 2026 – Primary held using the 2025 map.
- September 3 2026 – Missouri Supreme Court blocks the 2025 map pending referendum.
- September 8 2026 – Justice Brett Kavanaugh denies Hoskins’ request to overturn the state-court ruling.
- September 10 2026 – Supreme Court issues an unsigned stay of a district-court order that would have forced use of the 2025 map.
- September 21 2026 – 8th Circuit panel rules the 2022 map violates the U.S. Constitution and orders a permanent injunction requiring the 2025 map.
- September 22 2026 – Judges note that absentee ballots may be requested and cast beginning this date.
- September 23 2026 – People Not Politicians files a second emergency petition; the Court sets a response deadline of 2 p.m. the following Wednesday.
Data & Statistics
- 300,000+ signatures on the referendum petition.
- 1.4 million voters would be placed in different districts under the two maps, according to the appeals court.
- The 2025 map would create a 7-1 Republican advantage versus the 6-2 split of the 2022 map.
Official Statements & Responses
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who handles emergency appeals from the 8th Circuit, directed the state and supporters of the new map to file responses by 2 p.m. on the next Wednesday.
Criticism & Opposition
Representative Robert Onder argued that the appeals court’s decision would prevent “1.2 million Missouri voters” from being disenfranchised.
On-the-Ground Reports
Jackson County election officials confirmed that absentee voting is proceeding under the 2022 districts while the legal dispute continues.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Supreme Court’s two prior stays keep the 2022 map in effect, yet the 8th Circuit holds that using the 2022 map “violates the Constitution” because it would split the primary and general elections into different constituencies. No final ruling has resolved whether the pending injunction will be enforced, leaving uncertainty over ballot validity for voters who have already cast absentee ballots.
What’s Next
The Supreme Court must decide whether to extend its September 10 stay or issue a new order before the 8th Circuit’s deadline for the injunction’s effect. Parties have until 2 p.m. on the next Wednesday to file briefs, and the Court’s action will determine which congressional map governs the November 3 election.