The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously blocked a congressional redistricting plan championed by former President Donald Trump, restoring the state’s previous electoral boundaries ahead of the November midterm elections. The ruling marks a significant judicial check on partisan gerrymandering efforts but is expected to face further legal challenges.
At the center of the dispute is a map signed into law in September 2025, which legislative Republicans argued was necessary to secure an additional U.S. House seat for their party. The initiative triggered substantial public opposition, prompting nearly 300,000 residents to sign a petition demanding that the new boundaries be put to a popular vote.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the petition as legally insufficient, sparking the litigation that reached the state’s highest court. On Thursday, the seven-judge bench, comprising five Republican appointees, ruled in favor of the petitioners.
“The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court stated, adding that the Missouri Constitution explicitly permits such petitions with no applicable exceptions.
The decision places state officials in a complex logistical position, with only two months remaining before the general election and ballot printing imminent. Legal questions also remain regarding whether a state can utilize different congressional districts for its general election than those used during the primary season.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, announced an immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, describing the ruling as a “full-fledged constitutional crisis.”
“Never before in American history has a court overturned a congressional map after a primary and before a general election,” Hanaway said in a statement.
Trump criticized the decision on social media, labeling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional,” and dismissed the previous district lines as “Ancient History.”
The case is part of a broader national struggle over mid-decade redistricting that Trump advocated for last year, urging Republican-led states to redraw maps to maintain House control. While roughly ten states, including Missouri, pursued maps favorable to Republicans, California moved in the opposite direction.
Previously, the Missouri Supreme Court had upheld the legality of the special legislative action that created the 2025 map, noting that no federal law prohibits partisan gerrymandering. However, the latest ruling specifically validates the referendum process, barring the use of the 2025 map until voters approve it.
People Not Politicians, the group that organized the referendum, welcomed the decision. In a statement, the organization blamed Hoskins for the current confusion, asserting he had the authority to prevent the dispute months earlier but chose not to act.
Protesters rallied outside the state Supreme Court on Wednesday, chanting for the right to vote. Grant Christensen, a Jefferson City resident and petition signer, told reporters that gerrymandering is equivalent to voter suppression.
The outcome is likely to be most decisive in Missouri’s 5th congressional district, currently held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. The district, which includes parts of Kansas City, was redrawn to favor Republican candidates, a change that critics argue undermines fair representation.
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