Missouri’s congressional elections faced fresh uncertainty Tuesday after two courts issued dramatically different orders over which map the state should use in November.
The conflicting rulings came within minutes of each other and left election officials confronting two opposing judicial commands with the midterms less than two months away.
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Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh first declined Missouri’s emergency request to block a state Supreme Court decision requiring use of the older congressional map.
Shortly afterward, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order in a separate federal case requiring Missouri to use the newer Republican-backed map instead.
Clark wrote that switching congressional maps after Missouri had already conducted its August primaries under the newer districts would risk widespread voter confusion and disrupt the fairness and administration of the general election.
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“Using a different map for the general election would undermine the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections,” Clark wrote.
The extraordinary legal collision stems from a new congressional map approved by Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature in 2025 and signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.
The Trump-backed redistricting altered Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district by adding more Republican-leaning territory and was designed to give Republicans a stronger opportunity to win seven of Missouri’s eight House seats.
Opponents responded by collecting more than 300,000 signatures seeking a statewide referendum on the new districts.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the referendum effort, arguing that the state constitution did not permit such petitions for congressional redistricting.
The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously rejected that interpretation last week and ruled that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely.
The state high court concluded that because the referendum was properly filed, the 2025 map never legally took effect and could not be used unless voters approve it in November.
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Its ruling directed Missouri to use the congressional districts established after the 2020 census for the general election.
Missouri officials then sought emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that changing maps after approximately 1.2 million voters had already participated in primaries under the newer boundaries would create severe election-administration problems.
Kavanaugh, who handles emergency matters from the region, denied that request Tuesday without explanation.
But the legal dispute was simultaneously unfolding in federal court through a separate lawsuit brought by Republican Rep. Bob Onder and other plaintiffs.
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Clark concluded that forcing candidates to compete in general-election districts different from those used in their primaries could cause irreparable harm.
His temporary restraining order blocks Missouri from reverting to the older congressional map for now and directs the state to continue using the 2025 districts.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said afterward that the state was prepared to comply with Clark’s ruling.
“We maintain that changing the congressional map in between the primary and general elections is simply not feasible and profoundly unjust to Missouri voters,” Hanaway wrote.
The conflicting decisions mean the ultimate answer remains unsettled despite both sides briefly claiming victories Tuesday.
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People Not Politicians, the organization behind the referendum, maintains that the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision remains controlling and has indicated it will continue challenging the federal ruling.
The dispute could quickly return to the federal appellate courts and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.
Clark’s order is temporary, meaning the federal court has not issued a final ruling on the broader constitutional questions surrounding Missouri’s districts.
The timing makes the fight particularly consequential because election officials must soon prepare and mail ballots, including those for military and overseas voters.
Missouri’s new map was already used during the August primary, while the state Supreme Court insists that the older map is the only one legally in effect unless voters approve the replacement, ABC News reported.
For now, however, Clark’s federal order directs officials toward the newer districts even after Kavanaugh declined to disturb the state court ruling requiring the opposite result.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
