The U.S. Supreme Court declined to allow Missouri to use a recently redrawn congressional map in the upcoming November midterm elections, leaving in place a ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court that requires voter approval of the new districts in a statewide referendum before they can be used. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who handles emergency appeals from Missouri, denied the state’s request on Tuesday without providing a reason, effectively blocking the map designed to favor Republicans.

The disputed map, adopted by the Missouri Legislature in September 2025, was part of a mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at giving Republicans a stronger foothold in the state’s congressional delegation. It notably divided Kansas City into multiple districts in an attempt to unseat Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, one of two Democrats representing the state in Congress. The new districts were used in the August primary, during which about 1.2 million voters cast ballots, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the map could not be used in the general election unless approved by voters in a referendum.

Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway urged the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene promptly, arguing that changing the map after the primary would disenfranchise voters and create confusion, as candidates who won under the new boundaries would be forced to run in different districts. Hanaway described the state court’s decision as disregarding the primary voters' choices and highlighted a looming September 8 deadline to finalize the general election ballot. She asserted that the state intended to comply by holding the referendum but insisted the primary map should remain in effect until voters had their say.

Opponents of the map, led by Richard von Glahn, executive director of the advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri, welcomed Kavanaugh’s refusal to overturn the state’s Supreme Court ruling. They characterized the redistricting as a partisan effort to manipulate district lines for political gain and supported the requirement for a public vote before implementation.

Adding to the complexity, a federal judge separately issued a temporary order reinstating the redrawn map, creating uncertainty about which district boundaries will ultimately be used in November. This conflicting federal court decision came shortly after the Supreme Court’s refusal to act, leaving election officials and candidates to navigate an unclear legal landscape in the lead-up to the general election.

Missouri currently has eight congressional seats, with Republicans holding six and Democrats two. The redistricting aimed to bolster the Republican advantage, particularly targeting Democratic incumbents in urban areas. The unfolding legal dispute emphasizes ongoing national tensions over redistricting policies and election administration ahead of a key election cycle.