Donald Trump criticized the U.S. Supreme Court on Sunday after the justices declined to allow a Republican-drawn congressional map to be used for Missouri’s upcoming midterm elections. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated the court "will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory" and argued that they "continuously, three times now, overrule Judges who came to the correct decisions." The high court’s order on Friday instead requires the state to use a congressional map adopted in 2022.
The legal dispute centered on a revised map passed by Missouri lawmakers last September that aimed to give Republicans a 7-1 advantage in the state’s eight House districts. The new lines reshaped the Kansas City-based fifth district held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by adding rural Republican areas. While this map was used for the state’s August primaries, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on September 3 that a valid citizen petition suspended the new map until voters can weigh in through a November referendum.
On September 25, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned opinion halting a federal appeals court ruling that would have reinstated the new map. The justices wrote that "ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos." The decision means the state must revert to the lines used in 2022 and 2024. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled on September 21 that switching districts between the primary and general elections would be unconstitutional, a finding the Supreme Court's action effectively set aside.
The scale of the impact is reflected in the logistics of the election itself, as absentee voting under the 2022 districts began on September 22. Local election officials in some areas had previously urged voters to wait due to the legal uncertainty. The outcome of this dispute influences the effort to control the U.S. House of Representatives, as the rejected map was designed to secure an additional seat for Republicans, potentially moving the state's delegation from a 6-2 split to 7-1.
The case involves at least 16 separate lawsuits in state and federal courts. Missouri’s Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) was previously held in temporary contempt by the state supreme court for instructing local authorities to use the new map despite court orders. Missouri voters will have the final say on the future of the maps when they vote on Proposition A in the November general election.