Supreme Court Blocks Trump-Backed Missouri Congressional Map

The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Missouri from using its 2025 congressional map in the 2026 election, ordering the state to conduct November's voting under the districts adopted in 2022. The ruling rejected boundaries drawn last year with backing from President Trump and marked the court's third intervention in the dispute, one it appears intended to be final.

The order was unsigned and drew no noted dissents, according to Fox News. The justices instructed lower courts to stay out of the map question in both directions. "The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map," the order states, adding that those courts also should not require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 congressional election.

The decision is a defeat for Republicans, who redrew the state's districts in an effort to gain an advantage in the fight for control of the U.S. House. It also creates an unusual situation for Missouri voters: this year's primaries were conducted under the 2025 map, but general election ballots will now be cast under the 2022 boundaries. The ruling effectively ends the immediate legal fight over which map the state will use, leaving the older lines in place with 39 days remaining before the midterms.

The context

Missouri Republicans adopted a new congressional map in 2025, replacing the version drawn in 2022, as part of an effort backed by President Trump to improve the party's position ahead of the midterm elections. The redraw prompted opposition in the state; demonstrators gathered at the Missouri statehouse in Jefferson City to protest the legislature's effort to change the district lines. Litigation over the competing maps reached the Supreme Court repeatedly, and Friday's order was the justices' third action in the case. Fox News described the dispute as a redistricting mess that created an election problem the court had only days to untangle, given how close the state was to the general election. The Missouri fight is one front in a broader national battle over congressional redistricting playing out ahead of the 2026 midterms, with both parties contesting district lines in states where the balance of House seats could shift.

Why it matters

Control of the U.S. House is at stake in the 2026 midterms, and district lines shape which party is favored in individual seats. By restoring the 2022 map, the court removed boundaries that could have benefited Republicans, according to Fox News. The ruling also settles a practical election-administration problem: with 39 days until the midterms, Missouri officials and voters now have certainty about which districts apply. Because primaries were held under the 2025 map, some voters will find themselves in different districts for the general election than they were for the primaries.

What’s next

Missouri will proceed to the November general election under the 2022 map, with the Supreme Court having barred lower courts from disturbing that arrangement. The order resolves the immediate dispute, though the material does not indicate whether the 2025 map could return in future election cycles or face further litigation after 2026. The broader national redistricting fight ahead of the midterms continues in other states.