Updated on: September 3, 2026 / 9:48 PM EDT
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The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously blocked the state from moving forward with a new House map that favors Republicans in this year's midterm elections, ordering a statewide vote on whether to uphold or reject the new map. The decision Thursday marks a rare setback for Republicans in the national redistricting battle, as they fight to hold onto their slim House majority. It's also a massive win for longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, whose Kansas City-area district was set to be redrawn to tilt it toward the GOP.Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway indicated Thursday night that her office will appeal to the Supreme Court, writing on X: "We are confident that the federal courts will not allow every Missouri voter to be disenfranchised—which is what today's decision does."In response to the decision, President Trump — who has pressed Republican-led states to increase the number of GOP-friendly districts ahead of this year's midterm — wrote on social media it was "a Dark Day for 'Justice' in Missouri," saying: "Missouri must be able to use the map that was in effect just a couple of months ago, in the Primary."Missouri's new districts were used in the August primaries. But the state Supreme Court said they cannot be used in the November general election — or ever again, unless voters first uphold the new districts passed by the Republican-led legislature.The court placed the new districts on hold because citizens submitted petition signatures seeking a referendum. "The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise," the court said in its ruling. The legislation containing the new districts "did not go into effect and will not go into effect unless and until approved by the voters."
