The question of which congressional map Missouri should use in the midterms is back before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The legal tussle over whether to use a 2022 map or one redrawn to favor Republicans now spans four courts and is before the nation’s high court for the second time.
On Wednesday, the citizens group People Not Politicians and its executive director, Richard Von Glahn, asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court-issued order from Tuesday night that mandated Missouri use a map drawn by Republicans in 2025 that splits up one of two Democratic districts.
That legal turn came after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Denny Hoskins, the secretary of state, must use the 2022 map for the midterms.
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“The Secretary has made clear that every hour the [temporary restraining order] remains in force, election officials will continue to implement a congressional map that Missouri’s highest court has held is not and never has been law,” the lawyers for People Not Politicians wrote seeking a U.S. Supreme Court intervention.
The case goes through Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Trump appointee who deals with emergency cases relating to Missouri.
Hoskins is also preparing to defend himself Thursday morning before the Missouri Supreme Court, which is threatening to hold him in contempt for giving conflicting orders as to what map election officials should use.
Missouri was one of the first states to redistrict after President Donald Trump called on Republican state lawmakers to redraw congressional maps to boost their chances this cycle.
Missouri’s state Legislature split up Kansas City in three ways, all but eliminating Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s seat.
People Not Politicians gathered more than double the amount of signatures necessary to force a referendum on the new Republican-friendly map.
Hoskins waited until the last possible day to reject the petition — the same day of the state’s primary elections. That move prompted a lawsuit by the citizens group that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand Missouri’s high court ruling.
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