JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is set to conduct its November election using congressional districts established after the last census, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Thursday that rejected a new map supported by former President Donald Trump. This map was intended to assist Republicans in gaining an additional seat in the upcoming midterm elections.
The Supreme Court's ruling concluded a legal dispute that has persisted for nearly a year, leading to voter confusion. In light of the court's decision, Missouri's chief election official has instructed local authorities to utilize the U.S. House districts enacted in 2022, as mandated by the state's highest court.
Trump had sought judicial approval for his preferred map, which was approved by state lawmakers at his request last year. The ruling implies that Missouri may conduct the November general election with congressional districts that differ from those used in the August primary, a situation that could alter candidate options for over a million voters, approximately 25% of the state's electorate, according to an Associated Press estimate.
No justices of the Supreme Court publicly dissented from the brief order, which did not provide detailed legal reasoning, as is customary in emergency appeals.
The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment regarding the Supreme Court's ruling.
Earlier on Thursday, Missouri's Supreme Court held a hearing to determine whether to hold Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt for not adhering to its orders to use the districts established after the last census. Hoskins had instead directed local election officials to implement the new Trump-backed map, citing a conflicting order from a federal judge that prohibited him from using any map other than the new districts.
During the hearing, Missouri Supreme Court judges pressed the state attorney representing Hoskins to ensure that guidance was sent out to use the 2022 congressional districts. Chief Justice W. Brent Powell remarked on the precarious nature of the situation.
Following the Supreme Court's decision, Hoskins acknowledged the ruling and stated that his office would direct local election authorities to utilize the 2022 congressional map. The court subsequently found Hoskins in contempt for violating its order but noted that he had rectified the issue by issuing the latest directive.
Outside the court, activist Keith Rose protested Hoskins' attempts to implement the Trump-backed map, expressing hope that the Supreme Court's decision would bring clarity to the situation. "We need some finality. We need to focus on the real issues that Missourians care about," Rose stated.
Candidates who won the August primary in Missouri have been certified for the November ballot based on the districts they won, although these districts may significantly change.
Under the 2022 map, the 5th Congressional District includes only the Kansas City area. In contrast, the Trump-backed map would alter its boundaries, incorporating rural Republican areas and introducing new voters to the district. An estimated 59% of potential voters would be new under the revised map.
Other states that have changed congressional districts after their primaries have conducted new primary elections. For instance, Alabama held a new primary in August after the Supreme Court allowed changes following the original May primary. However, no court has suggested that Missouri should redo its primary.
The dispute over Missouri's congressional districts has lasted over a year and has created uncertainty regarding which districts will be used for voters. It was the second Republican-led state, following Texas, to implement new districts after Trump encouraged Republicans to redraw House districts for electoral advantage ahead of the midterms.
The revised districts aim to target a Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, with the goal of enabling Republicans to secure seven of the state's eight House seats in the midterm elections.
Opponents of the redistricting gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures to force a statewide vote on the new districts, submitting them in December. However, Hoskins delayed addressing the petition until August, coinciding with Missouri's primary, when he rejected it, claiming that a referendum petition could not be applied to congressional redistricting.
This delay allowed the state to utilize the new districts in the August primary. Cleaver faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination, while State Sen. Rick Brattin won the Republican primary to challenge Cleaver. Brattin was among those who filed a lawsuit in federal court to prevent the state from reverting to the previous districts.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, also involved in the lawsuit, stated, "This isn't over," noting that the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would hear arguments regarding his case.
Republican state officials have contended that changing districts before the general election would infringe upon voters' federal rights. However, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered Hoskins to place the redistricting referendum on the November ballot, which he complied with. The court ruled that the new districts never became law and were retroactively suspended to the date of the petition submission in December, barring Hoskins from employing the new map and mandating the use of the 2022 map for the November election.
The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to block the state court's decision, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected the request.
The group People Not Politicians Missouri, which sponsored the redistricting referendum, praised the Supreme Court's decisions that upheld the state court ruling. "The law is the law, the Missouri constitution is clear as was the Missouri Supreme Court," said Executive Director Richard von Glahn. "The courts have settled this, now it's up to Missouri voters to finish the job and vote NO on Proposition A."