Missouri AG appeals blocked map to U.S. Supreme Court

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed an emergency appeal Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to reinstate a new congressional map for the November midterm elections. The appeal follows a Thursday ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court that blocked the map, which was backed by former President Donald Trump and Republican leaders, and ordered it to be put to a statewide vote. The state's highest court ruled that a referendum petition, which gathered more than 300,000 signatures, was legal and timely, preventing the new districts from taking effect unless approved by voters. The court stated that the map, enacted last September and used for the state's August primary election, would not be used in the November general election. Instead, the congressional map adopted after the 2020 census will remain in effect. Hanaway, a Republican, argued in her appeal that the state Supreme Court's decision creates unprecedented chaos and threatens the ability to hold timely and lawful congressional elections. She requested an immediate halt to the state court's ruling, emphasizing that state law sets a Tuesday deadline for making changes to the November ballot. U.S.