US Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed Missouri congressional map

September 10, 2026 at 09:44 PM2 min

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The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's request to use a Republican-favored congressional map in Missouri. The order clears the way for the state to use its previous map in November's midterm elections. The ruling came hours after a federal judge allowed Missouri's top court to proceed with contempt proceedings against Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins.

Key Facts

The US Supreme Court issued the order on Thursday without noting any dissents.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh earlier in the week rejected another request to put the new Republican-backed map into effect.
Missouri's top court ordered Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to appear for a contempt hearing on Thursday.
The revised districts target a Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
Redistricting opponents submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in December seeking a statewide vote.

Supreme Court Action

The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's request to use a Republican-favored congressional map in Missouri. The order was issued without any noted dissents, clearing the way for Missouri to use the old map in November's midterm elections. Earlier in the week, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, rejected another request to put the new map into effect without referring the case to the full court. Kavanaugh handles emergency matters from Missouri.

Contempt Proceedings

The rejection came hours after US District Judge Stephen Clark allowed Missouri's top court to proceed with a contempt hearing against Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. The state Supreme Court had ordered Hoskins not to use the Trump-backed map and instead use districts passed after the last census. Judge Clark, also a Trump appointee, on Tuesday barred Hoskins from using anything other than the new map Trump supports. The state Supreme Court then ordered Hoskins to appear for a contempt hearing on Thursday for instructing local election authorities to use the Trump-backed districts. State attorneys representing Hoskins asked Clark to halt the contempt hearing, but he declined.

Redistricting Battle

Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to enact new districts after Trump urged Republicans last year to redraw House districts to their advantage. The revised districts target a Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver by shedding parts into neighboring districts and stretching the remainder into rural Republican areas. The goal is to help Republicans win seven of the state's eight House seats in the midterm elections, a gain of one seat. Redistricting opponents collected hundreds of thousands of petition signatures seeking to force a statewide vote on the new districts. They submitted the signatures in December.