Justice Brett Kavanaugh has agreed to hear a Missouri redistricting case for the third time as Republican and Democratic forces clash over congressional maps that could shift House control just weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.

Supreme Court Pulled Into Third Round

The disputed 2025 redistricting map would deliver Republicans an additional House seat if implemented for November elections. Kavanaugh, who handles emergency appeals for Missouri, ordered supporters of the new map to respond by Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET after the Democratic group People Not Politicians filed an emergency petition Tuesday night. The intervention follows a Monday ruling by the St. Louis-based Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals favoring the Republican-drawn boundaries.

Supreme Court takes up Missouri’s congressional-map dispute for a third time after Justice Brett Kavanaugh accepts a new emergency request challenging an appeals-court order requiring the state to use its 2025 map in November.

Source: Fox News

The legal battle has ricocheted between federal courts, state courts, and the Supreme Court since Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition with 300,000 signatures demanding voters decide the map’s fate. The Missouri Supreme Court sided with Democrats, declaring the 2025 map cannot take effect without voter approval at the November general election.

Primary Winners Challenge Old Districts

Republican candidates who won primary races under the 2025 maps launched a separate federal lawsuit arguing general elections under the 2022 map would force them to campaign in completely different districts. Eighth Circuit Judge Stephen R. Clark ruled in their favor, directly contradicting the state Supreme Court by ordering the 2025 maps used in November. Kavanaugh initially blocked that order pending formal Eighth Circuit review, which then upheld the new boundaries.

The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities announced it will not implement the 2025 map, stating insufficient time remains to produce new ballots. Thousands of Missouri voters have already cast ballots under current district lines as early voting proceeds across the state.

Election Officials Draw Line

People Not Politicians director Richard von Glahn criticized continued legal challenges as wasteful spending. His organization argues the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling blocking the new map remains in effect and Missouri election officials have confirmed changing maps now is logistically impossible. Ballots have been printed and distributed across Missouri’s 114 counties, with early voting already underway in multiple jurisdictions.

The case represents the latest flashpoint in national redistricting wars that could determine which party controls the House after November. Missouri’s additional Republican seat could prove decisive in a closely divided chamber where every district matters. Kavanaugh’s decision to intervene again signals the Supreme Court recognizes the high stakes as the election rapidly approaches with no clear resolution in sight.