Supreme Court Hands GOP Another Loss In Election Map Battle

The Supreme Court blocked a federal judge’s decision ordering Missouri officials to use Republican-friendly maps for the midterm elections. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh granted a request from a left-wing group to block a lower court ruling directing Missouri to use election maps from the state’s 2026 primary instead of the older 2022 maps favored by Democrats. The block will remain as the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals considers the case. 

The order is the latest update in a dramatic back-and-forth battle over which districts Missouri voters will see on the ballot in November. Maps passed by the state legislature in 2025 and used during the 2026 primary elections were expected to yield a 7-1 Republican House seat advantage. The old maps, approved in 2022, led to a 6-2 GOP advantage. 

Adding further complexity to the case, the deadline for Missouri to finalize the ballot was September 8.

Kavanaugh’s order could significantly alter the landscape in an election year in which every seat counts as both parties fight for control of the House. His order blocks the decision of Eastern District of Missouri Chief Judge Stephen Clark, who argued that primary voters would be disenfranchised if the maps reverted. 

“Disenfranchising voters across the state and denying them their constitutional right to have their primary votes counted significantly harm the public interest,” he wrote. “Using a different map for the general election would wreak havoc on the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections, calling into question the candidacy of those nominated in the primaries and the votes of those who voted in the primaries. Widespread voter confusion would inevitably follow.”

That decision came after Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), Republican congressional nominee Rick Brattin, and two Missouri primary voters argued that their votes would be invalidated if the old maps were reinstated for the November election. Clark, appointed by President Donald Trump, agreed. 

The lawsuit came after the Missouri Supreme Court said that the 2022 maps must be used until a referendum can be held after a challenge by a liberal group called “People Not Politicians.” 

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said that the new maps would be used to comply with Clark’s ruling despite the state Supreme Court’s ruling that the old maps should be used. The court has called for a hearing on whether to hold Hoskins in contempt of court over his decision.