Blow to Trump as Missouri SC Blocks Republican-Drawn Congressional Map

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in November’s midterm elections, dealing a blow to the party’s chances of maintaining its narrow majority in the US House of Representatives.

 

The ruling could preserve the House seat of longtime Democratic US Representative Emanuel Cleaver, whose Kansas City-based district was dismantled under the new map.

 

The seven-member court, which includes five judges appointed by Republicans, unanimously ruled that the map must first be approved by voters in a November referendum before it can take effect.

 

Missouri Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said on X that she would appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.

 

“This unprecedented decision clearly violates federal law and has thrust our state into a full-fledged constitutional crisis,” she said.

 

Republican lawmakers had adopted the new map as part of a broader campaign backed by President Donald Trump to redraw congressional boundaries in favour of Republican candidates.

 

Trump condemned the ruling in a post on Truth Social, calling it a “Dark Day for ‘Justice’ in Missouri!”

 

A group formed to oppose the new map, People Not Politicians, had collected enough signatures to seek a referendum under a provision of the state constitution that allows voters to approve legislative acts through a ballot measure.

 

Missouri’s Republican Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, the state’s top election official, rejected the petition, arguing that the relevant constitutional provision did not apply to congressional redistricting. The court on Thursday rejected that argument.

 

“The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” Judge Ginger Gooch wrote in the court’s opinion.

 

The redrawn map, Gooch said, “will not go into effect unless and until approved by voters”.

 

It was not immediately clear how the ruling would affect candidates running in November’s election. Missouri held its primary elections under the new map last month, and the court did not specify how nominees should be selected now that the previous district boundaries are back in effect.

 

Hoskins’ office had argued that overturning the map so close to the general election would create confusion and practical difficulties. But the court placed responsibility for the situation on Hoskins, noting that he received the signatures in December but waited nearly eight months before rejecting them at 4pm on the final day of the deadline.

 

“The Missouri constitution says what it says, and those words matter,” Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, told reporters.

 

Missouri was among several states that either adopted new congressional maps or took steps towards doing so as part of an extraordinary mid-decade redistricting battle that began after Trump successfully urged Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s US House map.

 

While both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states pursued new maps, Republicans ultimately emerged with gains after a US Supreme Court ruling allowed several conservative Southern states to eliminate districts with significant Black populations.

 

Overall, Republicans improved their prospects in 16 districts, including Cleaver’s seat in Missouri, while Democrats gained an advantage in six. Republicans hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the US House, including one independent who caucuses with Republicans.

 

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican who supported the redrawn map, said on X: “We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision by unelected judges and their lack of respect for the legislative process.”

 

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