November ballots will use districts adopted after the last census
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an appeal from Missouri officials seeking to keep new congressional districts in place for the November general election.
The justices let stand a September ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court, which held that the new districts had been automatically suspended by a citizen petition demanding a statewide vote. Republican state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway had asked the high court to intervene, arguing that switching maps between the August primaries and the November general election would violate federal rights and confuse voters.
With the court’s refusal to take up the case, Missouri voters will cast their November ballots under congressional districts adopted after the last census. The new map, which Trump publicly supported, had been used in the state’s August primary.
Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting was part of a nationwide effort Trump urged Republican leaders to launch last year as the party worked to defend its slim House majority. The Associated Press called the ruling a rare setback in that broader push.
The state high court found that under Missouri law, a referendum petition automatically suspends a redistricting measure pending a popular vote. Because the petition was filed before the November election, the court said, the state must revert to the prior districts.
Hanaway argued in her appeal that switching maps between the primary and general elections would violate federal rights and cause confusion at the polls.