The Missouri Supreme Court has issued a unanimous decision to block a congressional map supported by United States President Donald Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections, effectively reinstating the state’s previous district boundaries.
The ruling on Thursday represented an unusual judicial rebuke to Trump amid the ongoing national struggle over redistricting. However, it is unlikely to mark the definitive conclusion of the case, as Republican leaders have already announced plans to challenge the decision.
Central to the dispute is a congressional map enacted in September 2025, which was crafted to assist Republicans in securing an additional seat in the US House of Representatives this year.
Nevertheless, the partisan redistricting initiative sparked considerable public opposition, with nearly 300,000 Missouri residents signing a petition demanding that the new map be put to a popular vote.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins dismissed the petition on the grounds that it failed to meet legal requirements. This rejection set the stage for the legal confrontation, which the Missouri Supreme Court resolved on Thursday.
“The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court stated in its ruling.
The court further noted that the Missouri Constitution explicitly permits such petitions and that “no exception applies” in this case. The seven-member bench includes five judges appointed by Republican governors.
Despite the ruling, Missouri now faces a complicated situation. With only two months remaining until the midterm elections, ballot printing is set to begin soon.
Additionally, unresolved legal questions persist regarding whether a state may employ different congressional districts for its general election than those used during the primaries.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, announced her intention to immediately appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court. She characterized Thursday’s ruling as a “full-fledged constitutional crisis.”
“Never before in American history has a court overturned a congressional map after a primary and before a general election,” she remarked in a statement.
Trump also expressed strong opposition to the ruling through a social media post, labeling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional.”
“The Missouri Supreme Court just ridiculously ruled in favor of changing the maps back to what they were a long time ago. It’s called, Ancient History,” he wrote.
Last year, Trump initiated the nationwide redistricting conflict by engaging with Texas state lawmakers to redraw their maps in a manner favorable to Republicans.
Typically, congressional maps are revised once every ten years to account for census data.
However, Trump urged Republican-led states to adopt new maps mid-decade as a strategic measure to help the party retain control of the House.
Approximately ten states ultimately pursued redistricting, including Missouri. The majority of these new maps favored Republicans, while California redrew its map to benefit Democrats.
Prior to Thursday’s ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court had previously determined that the special legislative action altering the state’s congressional map was lawful. In the United States, no federal statute prohibits partisan redistricting, commonly known as gerrymandering.
Nonetheless, Thursday’s decision affirmed the legality of the petition campaign seeking to place the map before voters.
The Missouri Supreme Court prohibited the use of the 2025 map in November’s midterm election or any subsequent election unless Missouri voters approve it first.
The advocacy group People Not Politicians led the referendum petition effort. In a statement released Thursday, the organization praised the state court’s decision, which reversed a lower court ruling.
“Supreme Court of Missouri has ruled: Missourians will vote on politicians’ rigged map,” the group declared on social media.
The group also criticized Missouri’s secretary of state for any obstacles hindering the restoration of the previous map.
“Hoskins had the power to prevent all this confusion months ago — and he chose not to,” the group asserted.
On the day preceding the court’s ruling, hundreds of individuals gathered outside the state Supreme Court, chanting: “Let us vote!”
Grant Christensen, a Jefferson City resident and referendum supporter, confirmed that he had signed the petition.
“Gerrymandering is the same as voter suppression,” Christensen stated. “Cutting up districts in order to steer them to vote one way or the other is not fair.”
Missouri’s 2025 congressional map had already influenced the state’s primary elections. Critics, however, emphasize that Hoskins did not reject the referendum until August 4, the same day as the party primaries.
The outcome of the legal dispute is expected to have the greatest impact on Missouri’s 5th congressional district, currently represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. His district, which includes portions of Kansas City, was redrawn to favor Republicans.
