US Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed Missouri congressional map ahead of midterms

The US Supreme Court has again rejected a request to put a Trump-backed congressional map into use in Missouri. The latest order leaves the state facing the prospect of using its older district lines for the November midterm elections. Those elections could help decide control of the House of Representatives.

Sponsored

The court issued the decision on Thursday without noting any dissents. Earlier in the week, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who handles emergency matters from Missouri, also turned down a separate request to allow the new map to take effect. He did not refer the case to the full nine-member court or explain his reasoning.

The dispute has already produced conflicting rulings from different courts and a contempt hearing involving Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. A state court had ordered Hoskins not to use the Trump-backed map and instead to follow districts passed after the last census. On Tuesday, US District Judge Stephen Clark barred Hoskins from using anything other than the new map, while the state Supreme Court moved ahead with contempt proceedings after Hoskins did not follow its orders.

The case matters because Missouri is one of the states where redistricting could affect the balance of power in the House. The revised map is designed to help Republicans win seven of the state's eight House seats, a gain of one seat. It also targets a Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver by shifting parts of that district into neighbouring areas and stretching the remainder into more rural Republican territory.

Sponsored

Missouri's fight over congressional districts has been unfolding for more than a year and has created uncertainty for voters and election officials. The state was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to adopt new districts after Trump urged Republicans last year to redraw House maps in their favour before the midterm elections. That broader push has made redistricting a central legal and political issue in several states.

What remains unclear is whether Missouri will ultimately be forced to use the old map in November or whether further court action could change the picture again. The contempt hearing involving Hoskins is still proceeding, and the conflicting lower-court rulings suggest the dispute may not be settled quickly. The next developments are likely to come from the courts and from election officials preparing for the vote.

#Missouri #USSupremeCourt #congressionalmap #redistricting #midtermelections