A federal appeals court in St. Louis has ruled that Missouri must use its newly drawn congressional map for the November 2026 general election, rejecting the current plan to use the 2022 map. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 2022 map violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, while the 2025 map complies with those standards. However, the ruling will not take effect immediately and faces challenges in being implemented before the election, due to the Supreme Court’s prior involvement in the case. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump, has paused the ruling for a week, giving time for the state or other parties to seek intervention from the Supreme Court. This decision supports a ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark, who had ordered the use of the new map, despite the Missouri Supreme Court previously ruling against it. The legal battle over redistricting has involved multiple courts and has had a significant impact on how Missouri will conduct its upcoming elections. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had paused Judge Clark’s ruling, allowing Missouri to use the 2022 map, which currently favors Republicans with six of the eight congressional seats. The state legislature had drawn a new map in 2024, aiming to shift the balance of power in the House by isolating Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver and creating a 7-1 Republican majority. However, the new map faced legal challenges and a public referendum process. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a Republican, delayed implementing the new map after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled he was in contempt for not following its instructions to pause the 2025 map pending a voter referendum. Opponents of the new map had gathered enough signatures to put the plan to a public vote, but Hoskins delayed the decision on including it on the ballot until the last minute, ultimately rejecting the referendum. He argued that redistricting plans are not subject to voter approval, a position that has been contested in court. The recent appeals court ruling requires Missouri to use the new map for the November election, as it did in the August primary. However, the court has delayed the ruling’s effect to allow time for further legal appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled against the Republican-drawn map and has blocked enforcement of the lower court’s order, pending a potential appeal. Currently, Missouri is preparing for the November election using the same districts as in 2022 and 2024, with absentee ballots already sent to overseas and military voters. State law requires all absentee ballots to be available by Tuesday.