Key facts
- A US appeals court revived a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri.
- The map was previously invalidated by Missouri's highest court.
- The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals directed a lower court to enter a permanent injunction allowing the Republican-drawn map.
- The ruling is paused until September 28 to give the Supreme Court time to weigh in.
- The map dismantled the Kansas City-based seat of Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
A federal appeals court has revived a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri, a decision that follows a series of legal battles over the district boundaries. The map, which had been invalidated by Missouri's highest court, was used for the state's primary elections. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals panel argued that using the map would cause less confusion for voters, given that they had already filed to run, campaigned, and voted under it. The court noted that any confusion stemmed from the state court's last-minute decision to switch the map. The ruling is not immediately effective, as opponents have one week to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for relief. The judges on the 8th Circuit panel stated they interpreted earlier Supreme Court rulings as a call to action regarding the map. Missouri Republicans adopted the map in 2025 as part of an effort to redraw congressional districts to benefit Republican candidates. The state's top court had blocked the map on September 3, siding with challengers who argued it must be approved by voters in a referendum before it can take effect. The US Supreme Court had previously paused a federal judge's order that would have required Missouri to use the Republican-drawn map in the midterms.