Legal Battle Over Missouri’s Congressional Map Intensifies
A federal appeals court panel on Thursday weighed a last-ditch attempt to bring back a new congressional map for Missouri. This map was backed by President Donald Trump. It would favor Republicans in the upcoming election. The U.S. Supreme Court already blocked these districts from being used in November.
Even though a high court issued an order, a three-judge panel from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals listened to arguments. They are deciding if the state should use the new Republican-drawn districts. The state used these same districts in its August primary. Whether the panel supports the new map remains uncertain regarding potential outcomes. The Supreme Court previously stopped a lower court order that favored this map. It is waiting for a final decision.
Missouri is set to run its November election with the old districts. These are the same ones used in 2024 and 2022. Local elections officials said they are already printing ballots with the old districts. Overseas citizens and military voters must receive absentee ballots by Friday. State law requires these ballots to be ready for all other voters by next Tuesday.
A filing from the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities stated that modifying districts so late is "practically impossible" It would also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The legal battle has been the longest and most confusing among states trying to change their House districts. Trump encouraged states led by Republicans to redraw districts for a midterm election advantage.
The Missouri Supreme Court ordered that the new map, passed in 2025, must face a referendum. The old map from 2022 will be used for November instead. Officials tried to appeal this to the U.S. Supreme Court. They also filed a lawsuit in federal court to bring back the 2025 map. A federal district court ruled to reinstate the new map, but the Supreme Court halted that ruling.
The appeals panel questioned lawyers for a group called People Not Politicians. This organization seeks to compel the state to utilize the 2022 map. Charles Hatfield, a lawyer for the group, argued that no one else is willing to defend the state law. "If the intervenor's not here, who's going to defend Missouri law?" he asked the panel. He asserted that "no one is willing to defend the unanimous decision of the Missouri Supreme Court and the state law." The panel seemed skeptical of his arguments but also questioned officials about the timeline for a ruling.