Key facts
- The U.S. Supreme Court declined to reinstate a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied Missouri's emergency request to suspend a state Supreme Court ruling.
- The Missouri Supreme Court had ruled the map needed voter approval in a referendum.
- The decision preserves the seat of Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
- Republicans had sought to redraw districts to benefit their candidates.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to reinstate a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump and the party's efforts to maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied Missouri's emergency request to suspend a state Supreme Court ruling that blocked the map. This decision preserves the Kansas City-based seat of longtime Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, whose district would have been dismantled under the redrawn boundaries.
Mobilized by Republicans and backed by Trump, the map was part of a broader effort to redraw congressional districts to benefit Republican candidates. However, the seven-member Missouri Supreme Court, including five Republican-appointed judges, unanimously ruled that the map must be approved by voters in a November referendum before it could take effect. The state's Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway's office informed the U.S. Supreme Court that the decision forces Missouri to revert to an older electoral map for the November elections, despite primaries having already been held using the new map.
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the U.S. House. While both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states drew new maps, Republicans ultimately improved their chances in 16 districts, while Democrats secured an edge in six. The U.S. Supreme Court has been involved in numerous redistricting disputes, including a major ruling that limited the reach of the Voting Rights Act, allowing some conservative Southern states to eliminate districts with significant Black populations.