Overview
- On Sept. 10 the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of a federal judge’s order that had tried to force Missouri to use the GOP-drawn 2025 congressional map, so the state court’s suspension of that map remains in effect.
- The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that People Not Politicians Missouri submitted a valid, timely referendum petition that, under state law, automatically suspends the 2025 law until voters decide.
- U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark issued a temporary Sept. 8 order requiring the state to use the 2025 map after it was used in the August primary, citing equal-protection and election-administration concerns.
- Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said he would follow the federal order, which led the Missouri Supreme Court to consider contempt proceedings and created immediate practical confusion for election officials.
- The dispute matters for control of the U.S. House because the 2025 map would likely change Missouri’s delegation from six Republicans and two Democrats to seven Republicans and one Democrat, and the case will move through the 8th Circuit with possible further review by the Supreme Court.