A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday, September 21, 2026, that Missouri should use a Republican-drawn congressional map for the upcoming November election. The decision follows a series of conflicting rulings between state and federal courts regarding which district boundaries are lawful. Despite the appeals court's decision, the map will not be implemented immediately because the panel paused its own order until September 28 at 5 p.m. CT to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.
The legal dispute centers on a map adopted by Missouri Republicans in 2025 that reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver. While this map was used during the state's August primary, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked it on September 3, ruling that the map was suspended by a referendum petition and that the state must use districts drawn in 2022 for the general election. The U.S. Supreme Court has twice sided against the 2025 map, recently staying a lower federal court order that had attempted to mandate its use.
In its Monday ruling, the 8th Circuit panel—consisting of Judges James Loken, David Stras, and Justin Smith—argued that using a different map for the general election than the one used in the primary would violate the U.S. Constitution. The judges directed a lower court to issue a permanent injunction against using any map other than the 2025 version. However, opponents of the map, including the group People Not Politicians, stated they will file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to maintain the 2022 boundaries.
The ruling affects approximately one million potential Missouri voters, or nearly one in four voters statewide, who would find themselves in different congressional districts depending on which map is used. In the 5th District specifically, about 59% of potential voters are new under the revised 2025 boundaries. For these residents, the court's final decision determines which candidates appear on their ballots and which representative will serve their community in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The timing of the ruling creates logistical challenges for local election officials and voters. Missouri law required absentee ballots to be available to all voters by Tuesday, September 22, and officials already began mailing ballots to military and overseas voters as of September 19 using the 2022 district lines. If the map is changed again following the U.S. Supreme Court's review, election authorities would have to decide whether to issue replacement ballots. The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities stated in legal filings that changing districts at this stage would be "practically impossible" and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The outcome of this case serves as a precedent for mid-decade redistricting, a practice encouraged by Donald Trump to help Republicans maintain or expand their majority in the House. Missouri’s battle is noted as the longest and most complex among roughly a dozen states that attempted to redraw U.S. House districts over the past year. A final determination by the U.S. Supreme Court is expected following the September 28 deadline set by the appeals court, which will clarify whether Missourians will also vote on the map itself as Proposition A on the November 3 ballot.