The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked Missouri from using a newly drawn GOP congressional map backed by Donald Trump for the upcoming midterm elections. The decision follows a flurry of court maneuvers and conflicting rulings from lower courts, resulting in a legal drama that has plunged the state into electoral confusion.
The court ruled that Missouri must use a 2022 congressional map instead of the map engineered by Republican lawmakers to provide the GOP an edge. This creates a rare situation where the November general election could be run with different U.S. House districts than those used in the August primary, potentially switching the candidate choices for more than a million potential voters.
The ruling is a loss for Republicans trying to maintain control of the House and a win for Democrats fighting to win control. Additionally, a Republican official in Missouri faces contempt charges for ignoring a lower court ruling. While the GOP redistricting is blocked for now, the legal fight may not be over.