A federal appeals court has ordered Missouri to use a Republican-drawn congressional map for November’s election despite the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting it twice and over 1.2 million voters already casting primary ballots under different district lines. The ruling triggers a major midterm crisis with ballots already printed and overseas military voters receiving their mail-in forms.
Court Reverses State Supreme Court Decision
The St. Louis-based Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling Monday, just one day before absentee ballots were scheduled for distribution. Judge Stephen R. Clark wrote that using the 2022 map in November’s general election violates the Constitution, declaring only the 2025 map complies with federal law. The panel delayed its ruling by one week to allow opponents time to appeal to the Supreme Court again.
The controversial 2025 map, drawn by Missouri’s Republican-controlled state legislature, splits the 5th Congressional District covering Kansas City into two districts. This change would likely eliminate one of Missouri’s two Democratic-leaning districts. The state already used this map for its August primary elections, where more than 1.2 million citizens voted in their assigned districts.
Election Officials Say Change Is Impossible
The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities announced it will not implement the 2025 map for November, arguing the state lacks sufficient time to produce new ballots. An August state trial court ruling noted that reverting to the 2022 map would relocate hundreds of thousands of voters into different districts compared to where they voted in the primary. Military and overseas voters have already begun receiving their ballots under the current configuration.
Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, criticized the legal battle as wasteful. He stated that ballots have been printed and thousands of Missourians will vote before the order takes effect, urging officials to stop spending taxpayer money on legal actions and focus on administering elections instead.
Trump Backs Redrawn Congressional Map
President Donald Trump strongly endorsed the redrawn map, calling an early September Missouri Supreme Court decision to favor the 2022 maps a dark day for justice. Trump argued on Truth Social that the ruling was horrible, ridiculous, and unconstitutional, claiming legal scholars agreed there was insufficient time to change maps with the election approaching. Governor Mike Kehoe joined national media to discuss the ruling’s implications for the upcoming midterm elections and voter confusion across the state.