The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an appeal from Missouri officials seeking to implement new congressional districts in the upcoming November election. This decision upholds a ruling from Missouri's Supreme Court, which stated that the new districts were suspended due to a citizen petition that demanded a statewide vote. The ruling represents a setback for Republicans who aimed to use the new map, which was supported by former President Donald Trump, to maintain their narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
The Missouri Supreme Court had previously ruled that the state must revert to the congressional districts established after the last census. Missouri's new districts were utilized in the August primaries, but the court's September ruling mandated a return to the earlier districts.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who filed the appeal, argued that changing districts between the primary and general elections would infringe on federal rights and create confusion among voters. Currently, Missouri's U.S. House delegation consists of six Republicans and two Democrats, elected under the districts approved in 2022.
At the urging of Trump, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe convened a special legislative session last year to redraw congressional boundaries in favor of Republicans ahead of the midterms. The revised map aimed to alter the 5th Congressional District, represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by reallocating parts of Kansas City to neighboring Republican-held districts and extending Cleaver's district into rural areas.
Cleaver faced no opposition in the Democratic primary, while State Senator Rick Brattin won the Republican primary in the newly configured district. On the same day as the primary, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins dismissed a petition with thousands of signatures that sought to force a referendum on the map. Hoskins claimed that Missouri's Constitution does not permit a referendum on congressional redistricting, a position a lower court supported. However, the state Supreme Court later reversed this decision, stating that the new districts were effectively frozen when the petition was submitted in December, thus never taking effect.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a constitutional provision allowing a referendum on "any act" of the Legislature includes congressional redistricting legislation. Following the court's order, Hoskins assigned the redistricting referendum as Proposition A on the November ballot.
Missouri was the second Republican-led state, following Texas, to respond to Trump's call to redraw congressional districts. Republicans had anticipated gaining as many as 16 additional seats from new House maps enacted in eight states, including Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. Conversely, Democrats believe they could gain up to six additional seats from new districts in California and Utah. The effectiveness of the redistricting efforts for Republicans remains uncertain, as historically, the president's party tends to lose congressional seats in midterm elections, and Trump's low approval ratings may pose additional challenges for Republican candidates.