The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously blocked new congressional districts, backed by Donald Trump, from being used in the November election. The court also ordered a statewide vote on whether to uphold or reject the new map.
This decision, made on Thursday, marks a setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle. Republicans had aimed for Missouri's new congressional boundaries to help them secure an additional seat and maintain their slim House majority in the midterms. The ruling could still be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
The court placed the new districts on hold because citizens submitted petition signatures seeking a referendum. The court stated that the referendum petition was "legal, sufficient, and timely," and that the secretary of state had incorrectly concluded otherwise. As a result, the congressional map adopted after the 2020 census "remains in full force and effect for the November 2026 general election."
Opponents submitted over 300,000 petition signatures in December to put the map to a public vote. However, Republican secretary of state Denny Hoskins rejected the petition on primary election day in August, arguing the referendum process could not be used for congressional redistricting. A lower court agreed, but the state's highest court overturned Hoskins' decision.