Missouri congressional map in chaos after conflicting federal court rulings

Sep 9, 2026

Missouri's congressional elections are in chaos following conflicting state and federal court rulings. The Missouri Supreme Court blocked a Republican-drawn map, backed by Donald Trump, after the group People Not Politicians gathered over 300,000 signatures for a referendum. However, federal judge Stephen Clark ordered the state to use the new map, arguing that reverting to the 2022 map after the August primary would wreak havoc. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins faces a state contempt hearing for enforcing the new map, while appeals continue to mount.

Dueling court orders

▪The anti-gerrymandering group People Not Politicians filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court on September 9, 2026, to block the federal court order enforcing the new map
▪U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected an appeal from Missouri's Republican attorney general on September 8, 2026, leaving in place a Missouri Supreme Court injunction against the new Republican-drawn map
▪U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order on September 8, 2026, prohibiting Missouri from using any map other than the new Republican-backed congressional districts
▪A federal judge and the Missouri Supreme Court issued conflicting rulings regarding whether Missouri must use its 2022 congressional map or a new Republican-backed map for the November 2026 midterm elections
▪The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit denied an emergency plea on September 9, 2026, to overturn U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark's order enforcing the new map

Trump-backed redistricting map

▪Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe called a special legislative session to redraw congressional boundaries to the advantage of Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, acting at the urging of Donald Trump
▪The new Republican-backed map targets Missouri's 5th Congressional District, held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, by reassigning portions of Kansas City to neighboring Republican districts
▪The new Republican-backed map could give the Republican Party seven of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats, compared to the six seats they currently hold under the 2022 map

Voter petition referendum

▪The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the new map never became law because the referendum petition retroactively froze the legislation when signatures were submitted in December
▪Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins assigned the redistricting referendum as Proposition A on the November 2026 ballot in compliance with the state Supreme Court order
▪The advocacy group People Not Politicians gathered over 300,000 petition signatures to force a statewide referendum on the new Republican-backed congressional map

Secretary of State contempt

▪The group People Not Politicians accused Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of orchestrating delays by waiting until August 4, 2026, to rule on the referendum petition
▪U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark denied a request by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to block the Missouri Supreme Court's contempt hearing, citing principles of federalism and comity
▪The Missouri Supreme Court scheduled a contempt hearing for September 10, 2026, ordering Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to explain why he should not be held in contempt for directing officials to use the rejected map

Election administration chaos

▪U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark argued that switching congressional maps between the primary and general elections would cause widespread voter confusion and call primary candidacies into question
▪Missouri voters cast ballots in the August 2026 primary election under the new Republican-backed map, and election officials have already certified those primary winners
▪Federal law mandates a September 19, 2026, deadline for Missouri election officials to begin mailing absentee ballots to overseas citizens and military members