Full Breakdown
Supreme Court Blocks Missouri GOP Redistricting Map for a Third Time
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 25, 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued an unsigned order rejecting a request to allow Missouri’s 2025 congressional map—drawn by Republican legislators—to be used in the November 3 midterm election. The Court affirmed the Missouri Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that the state must use the 2022 map, which allocates six House seats to Republicans and two to Democrats. The order warned that changing maps at this stage would “usher in electoral chaos.”
Background & Context
Missouri’s General Assembly adopted the 2025 map in September 2025, reshaping the Kansas City-based 5th District held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and projecting a 7-1 Republican advantage. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins delayed a citizen-petition decision until August 4, 2026, the day of the primary, allowing the new map to be used for that contest. The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously held on September 3, 2026 that the map could not take effect without voter approval in a November referendum, effectively freezing the 2022 districts.
Timeline
- September 3, 2026 – Missouri Supreme Court rules the 2025 map invalid without a referendum.
- August 4, 2026 – Primary election held using the 2025 map.
- September 8, 2026 – Justice Brett Kavanaugh denies a request to stay the state-court ruling.
- September 10, 2026 – Supreme Court stays a federal district court order that would have enforced the 2025 map.
- September 21, 2026 – 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals orders use of the 2025 map for the general election.
- September 22, 2026 – Supreme Court clarifies that its September 10 stay remains in effect.
- September 25, 2026 – Supreme Court issues third order rejecting the 2025 map.
Data & Statistics
- The 2022 map yields a 6-2 partisan split; the 2025 map would have produced a 7-1 split.
- ? 59 % of potential voters in the 5th District would have been new under the 2025 map (Associated Press).
- > 1 million voters (about one-quarter of Missouri’s electorate) would have shifted districts between the primary and general election, according to the 8th Circuit.
Official Statements & Responses
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe posted on X that the decision was “disappointing” but pledged compliance: “Voters deserved consistency and certainty, and not for the rules to be changed between elections.”
On-the-Ground Reports
County Clerk Brianna Lennon (Boone County) cautioned voters that “we’re not telling them not to vote,” while noting that “we are moving forward with business as usual until we hear otherwise.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The 8th Circuit cited more than 1.4 million voters shifting districts, while Fox News reported more than 1.2 million. Both figures describe the scale of disruption but differ in magnitude.
Verbatim Quotes
What’s Next
The November 3 election will proceed using the 2022 congressional districts. Voters will decide in the November referendum whether the 2025 map can be adopted for future elections. No further Supreme Court action has been scheduled.