Supreme Court Blocks Missouri's New GOP Congressional Map

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an emergency appeal from Missouri officials seeking to use a newly drawn, Republican-favored congressional map for the upcoming November midterm elections. The decision means the state will revert to its 2022 congressional map, which allocates six Republican-held seats and two Democratic-held seats. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, assigned to handle emergency petitions from Missouri, denied the application without providing a written explanation. The ruling leaves in place a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which last week determined that the new map could not be implemented for the general election. That state court had ruled that the map, which was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, must first be approved by voters through a referendum. The new map, enacted in 2025, was designed to significantly increase Republican representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, potentially flipping the Kansas City-based fifth congressional district, currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat. The redrawn lines would have dismantled Cleaver's district and divided it among several more rural, Republican-dominated districts.