Key facts
- The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Missouri from using a redrawn congressional map.
- The map was drawn to favor Republicans in November's midterm elections.
- The court granted an emergency request by challengers to suspend a federal judge's decision.
- The suspended decision would have allowed the reconfigured boundaries to be used in the November 3 elections.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Missouri from using a redrawn congressional map that favors Republicans in the upcoming November midterm elections. The decision grants an emergency appeal by redistricting opponents who had persuaded the Missouri Supreme Court to mandate the use of existing district lines for the November election.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark had essentially overridden the Missouri Supreme Court earlier in the week, ordering officials to use the new, more GOP-friendly maps in the general election. The Supreme Court's action on Thursday blocked Clark's order, signaling that federal courts should stay out of the dispute. The state's primaries had already used the new maps.