A federal appeals court has ordered Missouri to use its 2025 Republican-drawn congressional map in November, reversing the position the state was in a week ago.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a permanent injunction on Monday, holding it until September 28 to give the U.S. Supreme Court a chance to step in.
The map dismantles the Kansas City district held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
A two-judge majority, Judge James Loken and Judge Justin Smith, a Trump appointee, reasoned that reverting to the 2022 map would “strand voters between two districts,” because Missouri’s August primary was already run on the 2025 lines.
This reverses the practical outcome of earlier rulings.
The U.S. Supreme Court had twice declined to revive the map: Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected an emergency appeal on September 8, and two days later the court froze a district judge’s order without explanation.
The Missouri Supreme Court had separately overruled the Republican secretary of state’s position that a referendum blocking the map was illegal.
It is not settled. People Not Politicians Missouri, which opposes the map, plans an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court before the September 28 hold expires.
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