Supreme Court rebuffs Missouri’s request for new House map favoring Republicans

Updated on: September 8, 2026 / 6:13 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed an appeal from Missouri officials who wanted to use new congressional districts backed by President Trump in the November election, a defeat for Republicans who had hoped the new map could help them hold on to their slim House majority.

The justices let stand a decision by Missouri's top court, which said the new districts cannot be used in the November elections because they were superseded by a citizen petition demanding a statewide vote.

The ruling marks a rare setback for Republicans in a nationwide redistricting battle that Mr. Trump urged Republicans to launch last year. The new House maps, passed by the state legislature last year, would dramatically redraw longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-area district, making it GOP-leaning.

Missouri's new districts were used in the August primaries. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the state must revert to districts adopted after the last census.

Republican state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who appealed, had argued it would violate federal rights to switch districts for voters between the primary and general elections. She also said it would cause confusion.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/