Missouri Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed map from November’s midterms

What the report says

The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously blocked a congressional map backed by US President Donald Trump from being used in November’s midterm elections, restoring the state’s earlier districts for now. The ruling, reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday, reverses a 2025 redistricting plan that Republicans said was intended to help them win an additional House seat.

The case arose after nearly 300,000 Missouri residents signed a petition seeking a public vote on the new map. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition as legally insufficient, but the state’s top court said the petition was valid, timely and legally allowed under the Missouri Constitution. The court’s decision means the map cannot be used unless voters approve it first.

Republican officials immediately said they would appeal to the US Supreme Court. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway described the situation as a constitutional crisis, while Trump criticized the ruling on social media. The timing adds urgency because ballots will soon be printed and there are unresolved questions about whether a general election can use districts different from those used in the primaries.

The dispute is part of a wider national battle over redistricting that intensified after Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw maps mid-decade. Al Jazeera noted that the Missouri case may be especially important in the state’s 5th congressional district, currently held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, which was reshaped under the new plan.