Overview
- The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday granted an emergency stay of a federal judge’s Sept. 8 order that would have forced Missouri to use a GOP‑drawn 2025 congressional map for the November election.
- The stay leaves in place the Missouri Supreme Court’s unanimous finding that the 2025 map was suspended after citizens filed a valid referendum petition and that those older 2022 lines likely govern the general election.
- The dueling orders — a federal judge saying the state must use the map voters used in the August primary and the state high court saying the map never took effect — prompted rapid appeals that the Supreme Court paused as litigation proceeds.
- Secretary of State Denny Hoskins faces a state contempt hearing for following the federal order, and election officials warn tight deadlines such as the Sept. 19 overseas and military absentee‑mailing date increase the risk of voter confusion.
- The dispute centers on a 2025 mid‑decade redraw that targeted Kansas City’s 5th District and could have shifted Missouri’s U.S. House delegation from 6–2 to 7–1 Republican, and the issue will also be decided by voters on the November ballot as Proposition A.