On September 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Missouri must use its 2022 redistricting map, not the 2025 map.
The 2025 map was gerrymandered to eliminate a Democratic district in Kansas City.
This is the third time the Court has had to intervene regarding the 2025 map (see the case history below).
Source:
Rice, Jen. (September 25, 2026)"In a win for voters, Supreme Court blocks Missouri's gerrymandered map for midterms". Democracy Docket. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
Howe, Amy. (September 25, 2026)"For the third time, Supreme Court declines to allow Missouri to use congressional map expected to aid Republicans". SCOTUSBlog. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
In September of 2025 Missouri adopted a new map intended to give Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
On December 9, 2025, the group People Not Politicians, its executive director Richard von Glahn, and others, submitted over 300,000 signatures to put the new map up for a vote on the ballot in the November 2026 general election.
On August 4, 2025, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition. Missouri conducted its August primary with the new 2025 map.
On August 4, 2025, Von Glahn filed a lawsuit in a Missouri state court asking for Hoskins' decision to be reversed so that the 2022 map would be used in the 2026 elections.
The state court denied von Glahn's request so he appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
On September 3, 2026, in a unanimous decision the Missouri Supreme Court granted von Glahn's request.
In its decision, the Court said "the plain language of … the Missouri Constitution authorizes a referendum as to 'any act of the general assembly' and no exception applies." Therefore, the referendum petition "was legal, sufficient, and timely." The Court also said "HB 1 never took effect" and will not go into effect "unless and until approved by the voters at the November 2026 general election." HB 1 is the Missouri House of Representatives bill that authorized the 2025 map.
Also on September 3, 2026, Trump posted the following on Truth Social:
The Missouri Supreme Court just ridiculously ruled in favor of changing the maps back to what they were a long time ago. It's called, Ancient History! The problem is, according to Legal Scholars, that not only was the ruling horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional, but there won't be enough time to change the map back with the Election coming up in a very short period of time. The Election Process, as usual, is being disturbed in America! Missouri must be able to use the map that was in effect just a couple of months ago, in the Primary. This is a Dark Day for "Justice" in Missouri! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
On September 4, 2026, Hoskins asked the U.S. Supreme Court justices to put the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling on hold.
Also on September 4, 2026, two Missouri Republican congressional candidates along with two voters filed a lawsuit in federal court in St. Louis seeking to reinstate the 2025 map.
On September 8, 2026, Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied Hoskins' request.
Shortly after Kavanaugh's decision, Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued an order that directed the state to use the 2025 map. Clark's reasoning was that by using the 2022 map in the 2026 general election voters would be voting for candidates that they had no role in nominating in the primary election (where the 2025 map was used).
On September 9, 2026, von Glahn and People Not Politicians asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and pause Clark's order.
On September 10, 2026, Hoskins filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court opposing the pause of Clark's order. That same day the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a hold on Clark's order "pending the disposition of the appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit."
On September 21, 2026 (after hearing oral arguments on September 17), the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of Clark's decision, directing Clark to enter a permanent order requiring the state to use the 2025 map, and to put the order on hold until September 28 to give the Supreme Court time to weigh in.
On September 22, 2026, von Glahn and People Not Politicians returned to the U.S. Supreme Court (for the third time), this time asking for clarification of its September decision. They also noted that it was too late to use the 2025 map because the state had already sent out ballots to military and overseas voters. The state of Missouri and plaintiffs supporting the 2025 map argued that von Glahn and People Not Politicians did not have standing to pursue their appeal. Hoskins' argued that declining to change Missouri's congressional map for a fifth time would be the best way to "promote stability."
On September 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Missouri must use its 2022 redistricting map. In its ruling the Court said:
- The 2022 map must be used in the 2026 general election "as a matter of state law."
- Putting a hold on lower court's recent rulings is in alignment with the U.S. Supreme Court's September 10 pause on Clark's previous decision.
- The 2026 general election has already started and changing maps would cause "chaos."
- The Purcell Principle doesn't apply because because the Missouri Supreme Court was responsible due to its eleventh hour decisions.
Source:
Howe, Amy. (September 25, 2026)"For the third time, Supreme Court declines to allow Missouri to use congressional map expected to aid Republicans". SCOTUSBlog. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
(September 8, 2026)"Hoskins v. von Glahn (Amicus)". ACLU. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
Commentary:
You might be wondering why I spent so much time documenting the history of this case.
The answer is simple.
This case is representative of the massive redistricting effort that has taken place over the past several years. All that most people hear about is a headline in the news. It isn't until you dig into the details and understand the chain of events that lead to that headline that you begin to really understand what's been happening in America "behind the scenes" in regard to redistricting.
Yes, the redistricting effort is an attempt by Republicans to increase their chances of winning elections, but it's also directly connected to Trump's "Big Lie." Red state government entities believe that redistricting is one way to combat what they see as election "cheating" by Democrats. The thinking is, if Democrats cheat, then so will we, and one way to do so is by gerrymandering maps in favor of Republicans.
Hoskins' behavior is just another example showing us that MAGA Republicans, like Trump, think they are above the law.
Think I'm exaggerating?
Just a few days ago, at a press conference a reporter asked U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche the following:
Can you just explain, because I think it's sometimes hard for non-lawyers to follow the distinction you're drawing between your own comments about the judiciary. You've said it's a war man, and you've asked young lawyers to join in that war, and what you find at fault with what the judges are saying in broad terms about the administration. Can you just explain the difference you see between your comments and the judge's comments?
Blanche responded:
Well, um there's there could not be a bigger difference. It turns out I'm not a judge. It turns out I'm not bound by the judicial cannons. Okay? I'm allowed to fight for my prosecutors. I'm allowed to get really fired up when, for example, judges in Minnesota um complain about us violating court orders. But the reason why that we are quote "violating court orders" is because these judges are violating Supreme Court law, okay, in allowing these cases to be filed. Okay? So, so, so that is absolutely not only what I'm willing to do, but what I have done.
Source:
Kirschner, Glenn. (October 2, 2026)"Todd Blanche ADMITS & Tries to Explain Why DOJ is 'Violating Court Orders'". SCOTUSBlog. Retrieved 2026-10-03.
This is the Attorney General of the United States of America saying he's willing to violate court orders and that he has in fact violated court orders. He justifies this by saying "judges in Minnesota" are violating Supreme Court law. Let's assume, for the sake of discussion, that what Blanche said about Minnesota judges is true. Does that give Blanche the right, and the "cart blanche" to do the same? NO, of course not, but Blanche, like Trump, puts his radical MAGA agenda above court orders and the rule of law.
What kind of message does this send to all of the Denny Hoskins out there in Trump/MAGA la-la-land?
Trump's response to the Missouri Supreme Court ruling is no surprise. Trump disrespects the rule of law because he aspires to be a dictator. That's one of the reasons he feels so connected to people like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. He admires them because he's so much like them.
The part of Trump's response that is most disturbing is where he says "The Election Process, as usual, is being disturbed in America!" This statement, of course, is just more of Trump's relentless and ongoing effort to perpetuate the "Big Lie" and to sow distrust into the 2026 mid-term elections. It's just another small piece of "evidence" that Trump and his administration will use to interfere with the 2026 mid-term elections.
This case has shown that Denny Hoskins is one of Trump's most egregious and dangerous sycophants. THREE TIMES the U.S. Supreme Court had to tell him NO before he finally relented. If a Democrat had pulled a stunt like this and disobeyed a U.S. Supreme Court order, the outrage from conservatives would have been mind-blowing and never-ending. But in the age of Trump/MAGA, this kind of behavior is not only accepted, but encouraged.