Full Breakdown
Supreme Court Blocks Missouri’s 2025 Congressional Map for a Third Time
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 25 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned order barring Missouri from using the 2025 congressional redistricting plan and requiring the November 3 election to proceed with the 2022 district boundaries. The Court warned that changing maps now would “usher in electoral chaos” because ballots had already been printed and absentee voting was under way. No justice dissented.
Background & Context
The 2025 map would have shifted one of the state’s eight House seats from Democrat Emanuel Cleaver to the GOP by splitting the Kansas City-based 5th District and adding rural Republican areas. The plan was promoted by the Republican-controlled legislature and President Donald Trump as part of a mid-decade redistricting push.
Opponents organized as People Not Politicians, led by executive director Richard von Glahn, gathered more than 300,000 signatures for a November referendum. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the petition, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on September 3 that the petition was valid and that the 2025 map could not take effect without voter approval, ordering use of the 2022 map.
Federal courts then became involved: a district judge issued a temporary restraining order favoring the 2025 map; the 8th Circuit reinstated it on September 21; and the Supreme Court intervened three times—on September 8, September 10, and September 25—to keep the 2022 map in place.
Timeline
- May 18 2026 – Gov. Mike Kehoe promotes the 2025 map.
- August 4 2026 – Primary election held using the 2025 districts.
- September 3 2026 – Missouri Supreme Court blocks the 2025 map pending referendum.
- September 4 2026 – Hoskins petitions the U.S. Supreme Court.
- September 8 2026 – Justice Brett Kavanaugh denies the request.
- September 10 2026 – Supreme Court stays the district court’s order.
- September 21 2026 – 8th Circuit orders use of the 2025 map.
- September 22 2026 – Supreme Court stays the 8th Circuit’s order.
- September 25 2026 – Supreme Court’s third order affirms use of the 2022 map.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Republican National Committee said the decision creates “unnecessary uncertainty” after primary ballots were cast.
- Secretary of State Denny Hoskins called the ruling “disappointing” but pledged compliance.
- Gov. Mike Kehoe said voters “deserved consistency and certainty” and the state will follow the order.
Criticism & Opposition
- President Trump posted on Truth Social that “The Supreme Court of the United States will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory.”
- Rep.
On-the-Ground Reports
County clerk Brianna Lennon said the ruling “relieves” staff from reprinting ballots or reprogramming machines, as absentee ballots already list candidates under the 2022 districts.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Plaintiffs cite 1.4 million affected voters; the Attorney General’s brief mentions “more than 1 million.” No comprehensive analysis of the statewide partisan impact of the two maps has been released.
What’s Next
Missouri voters will decide the fate of the 2025 map in the November 3 referendum (Proposition A). A “yes” vote would approve the map for future elections; a “no” vote would keep the 2022 districts. The Supreme Court’s order settles the 2026 congressional election, but the referendum will determine whether the contested map reappears in 2028.