Missouri congressional map litigation reached the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday night, as Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asked the justices to halt a state ruling that would require the use of the 2022 district lines instead of a newer plan expected to benefit Republicans.
In an emergency filing, Hoskins warned of what he called a “federal-election-administration disaster” in Missouri if the state is forced to abandon the map enacted last year and used in the August primary. He asked the court to pause a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court that directed officials to revert to the 2022 map while a referendum process plays out. Hoskins argued that no court has granted such a remedy and said it would cause significant disruption for voters and election administrators.
Missouri congressional map at center of referendum fight
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who manages emergency applications from the region that includes Missouri, requested a response from challenger Richard von Glahn by noon Eastern on Monday, a federal holiday, signaling the court may act quickly.
The dispute traces back to a push last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-led states to draw new congressional boundaries outside the usual post-census cycle. In September 2025, the Missouri Legislature passed HB 1 and Gov. Mike Kehoe signed it. If implemented, the plan would likely give Republicans seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats.
On Dec. 9, 2025, organizers submitted boxes with more than 300,000 signatures seeking to place a statewide referendum on the 2026 ballot to challenge the new lines. On Aug. 4, 2026, the final day to act and the date of Missouri’s primary, Hoskins rejected the referendum request, asserting that the state constitution does not permit a referendum on congressional redistricting plans approved by the General Assembly.
Von Glahn, a petition proponent, sued in state court to reverse Hoskins’ decision and to prevent use of the new map. On Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously for the challengers. Citing the plain language of the state constitution, the court concluded that a referendum may be held on “any act of the general assembly” and that no exception applies in this case. It deemed the referendum petition legal, sufficient, and timely.
The court also rejected Hoskins’ claim that proceeding with the referendum and reverting to the older lines would cause confusion, expense, and logistical trouble. The justices said those concerns were unpersuasive and noted that Hoskins waited until the last day to act on the petition, contributing to any difficulties.
Addressing the status of HB 1, the court said the new map does not become law unless approved by a majority of voters. Until then, the court emphasized, the 2022 map remains the only map in effect.
In his Supreme Court filing, Hoskins contended the state ruling violates the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause, which he said vests the authority to set the “Times, Places, and Manner” of federal elections in state legislatures, not in a subset of voters through a petition process. He wrote that the Supreme Court has never allowed a small percentage of a state’s electorate to suspend a congressional map by submitting a referendum petition.
He further argued that the ruling disenfranchises “hundreds of thousands” of voters by shifting them into new districts for the general election after they participated in primaries under the newer lines, leaving them to vote on candidates they did not help nominate.
Hoskins told the justices the state is uncertain whether it can change maps in time for a timely federal election. He added that von Glahn will still receive a referendum vote on the congressional map regardless of the Supreme Court’s action, and said the question is whether a small minority of voters can nullify the map before that vote occurs.
Seeking “much needed clarity” for election administrators, Hoskins requested an immediate administrative stay to pause the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision while the justices consider his appeal.