Celebrations sounded Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Republican state official’s attempt to usher in a newly drawn GOP congressional map in Missouri ahead of the midterm elections.
The court granted an emergency request to pause a ruling by Missouri-based U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark requiring the new map to be used.
While the Trump administration backed Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, saying a Supreme Court ruling against the GOP official would “jeopardize state officials’ ability to conduct a timely and lawful federal election,” critics disagreed.
“Today is a good day for judicial independence in America,” ,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger, “and Missouri specifically.”
Missouri Democrats claimed the ruling would serve them well in November, telling followers, “Folks, this is a 5-3 map.”
Election analyst Dave Wasserman appeared to agree.
“Massive win for Dems, as SCOTUS blocks Missouri GOP’s 7R-1D gerrymander,” Wasserman wrote. “#MO05 Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D) goes from doomed to safe, and Rep. Ann Wagner’s (R) #MO02 now worth keeping an eye on too.”
“This is the second time this week that Kavanaugh has ruled in favor of the old Missouri 6R-2D map,” noted congressional reporter Jamie Dupree. “But the primaries were held under the new 7R-1D map. Overseas and military ballots are supposed to go out on Sept. 19.”
“SCOTUS has shut down the Missouri Secretary of State again,” observed Missouri Democratic candidate Fred Wellman.
“I believe this means the 2026 map is decided. Kavanaugh is basically saying, use the 6-2 map until the full case makes its way up to SCOTUS on the merits docket,” opined VoteBeat’s Nathaniel Rakich. “But that wouldn’t happen until after Election Day, so effectively, Dems get what they want.”
“Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins tried to force an illegal gerrymandered map onto voters, defying his own state’s Supreme Court,” noted journalist Scott Dworkin. “Now he has been ordered to appear in person for a contempt hearing after Brett Kavanaugh refused to rescue him.”
“Back of the hand: Supreme Court promptly rejects the attempt by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use a GOP congressional map that the Missouri Supreme Court said he couldn’t,” reported NBC News correspondent Lawrence Hurley. “No noted dissents. A defeat for Hoskins and Trump.”
“I genuinely worry for many family members who still live in this state,” worried journalist Juliet Jeske. “The Missouri state government is a mess. They knew this was highly likely yet they tried to force the redistricting. It was all to disenfranchise Black voters in Kansas City.”
“A contrast to consider: Judge Clark writes that he is ‘confident that the Supreme Court of Missouri’ recognizes ‘the predicament in which Secretary Hoskins finds himself,’” pointed out KSDK-TV’s Mark Maxwell. “The Supreme Court already has recognized the predicament as one of Hoskins’ own making.”
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