The back-and-forth over Missouri’s midterm election maps continues with the Supreme Court poised to consider the case one more time.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicated Tuesday night that the high court will look at the case for a third time after a federal appeals court on Monday directed maps favorable to the GOP to be used in the November elections. Kavanaugh previously granted a request from a Left-wing group to block use of the Republican-friendly maps.
The outcome of the case could shape the outlook of Congress as Republicans look to cling to their slim majority in the House. The battle revolves around whether the map used in November gives Republicans an expected 7-1 or 6-2 advantage in the House.
The 7-1 map was used in the state’s primary election and was passed by the legislature in 2025. The 6-2 map is an older map passed in 2022 that a Left-wing group wants the state to use.
On Monday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals directed Missouri officials to use the 7-1 maps, ruling that it was unconstitutional for different maps to be used in the primary and general election.
“This Court holds that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution. Only use of the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law,” the court wrote.
The court said that many Missourians would be forced to vote on candidates who did not appear on their primary ballot and that using the old maps invalidated their primary votes.
“The result is that, if the 2022 map is used in the November 2026 general election, some Missouri voters will have more say than others on who represents them in Congress,” the court said. “As a result, a majority of residents in the Fifth Congressional District had no voice in who will appear on their November 2026 ballot; they will be forced to choose from nominees selected by a minority of residents in the district as well as voters who are no longer in the district.”
A leftist group called People Not Politicians challenging the new maps filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court asking the justices to clarify what the latest decision from the appeals court means for the state. The filing argued that new maps should not be used since early voting under the old maps had already started.
In response, Kavanaugh gave Missouri officials until 2 p.m. on Wednesday to respond to the appeal.
The saga over Missouri’s maps has stretched on for weeks as courts have issued conflicting orders on the maps. The map favored by Republicans was set to carve up a Kansas City area House seat represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
.png)
.png)
