Appeals Court Orders Missouri to Use GOP Map for 2026 Election

A federal appeals court has ordered Missouri to use a Republican-drawn congressional map for the November 2026 general election, contradicting prior state and federal court rulings and setting up a final, urgent review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on September 21, 2026, was paused for one week until September 28 to allow the Supreme Court to consider an appeal. The three-judge panel ruled that using the state's older 2022 congressional map would violate the U.S. Constitution because it would disenfranchise voters who already participated in a primary election under the newer 2025 map. "This Court holds that Missouri's current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution," the judges wrote. "Only use of the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law." The ruling creates a direct conflict with the Missouri Supreme Court, which had previously blocked the 2025 map. The U.S. Supreme Court had also paused a lower court order that sought to revive the newer map. The 8th Circuit's decision now stands as the latest legal development in a protracted redistricting battle.