The legal battle over Missouri’s congressional map has returned to the U.S. Supreme Court for a third time after an appeals court ordered the state to revive new districts backed by President Donald Trump.

The latest appeal was filed late Tuesday following an unusual ruling by a federal appeals court that ordered Missouri to return to the new map shortly before the midterm elections.

The new congressional districts were drawn in a way that could help Republicans gain another U.S. House seat in the elections, which will determine control of Congress. The Supreme Court has already blocked attempts twice to put the map into effect for the November elections.

The justices had previously left in place a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court requiring the state to continue using its previous congressional map. That state court ruled that the new districts could not take effect unless they were approved by voters in a statewide referendum.

The U.S. Supreme Court has given supporters of the new map until midday Wednesday to respond to the latest emergency appeal.

The dispute has created uncertainty for more than 1 million potential voters who could be moved into different congressional districts depending on which map is ultimately used. Absentee voting is already underway in Missouri using districts adopted in 2022 following the most recent census.

The Trump-backed map significantly changes a Kansas City-area congressional district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Republicans hope the new boundaries could allow them to win seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats, compared with the six seats they currently hold.

Missouri’s redistricting dispute has become one of the most closely contested mid-decade congressional map battles in the country. Congressional districts are normally redrawn at the beginning of each decade following the census, but President Trump encouraged Republican-led states to pursue mid-decade redistricting in an effort to change House districts ahead of the 2026 elections.

The legal fight has now involved state and federal courts, as well as multiple emergency applications to the nation’s highest court. The latest proceedings leave Missouri voters and candidates waiting for a final determination over which congressional boundaries will govern the upcoming election.

SOURCE: Associated Press, updated September 25, 2026, article published September 23, 2026.