Supreme Court for the third time rejects Republican redistricting push in Missouri

The court shut down an appeals court ruling that had tried to revive the 2025 map, even though two earlier Supreme Court decisions and a Missouri Supreme Court ruling had already gone against Republicans on the same fight. No justices dissented. The emergency application came from People Not Politicians, the group challenging the map in court.

The justices didn't mince words about timing. "At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would cause electoral chaos," the ruling said.

With the election already underway, a last-minute map change could have thrown district lines, candidate filings, and ballots into confusion. Blocking the 2025 map again keeps the current lines in place for this election cycle. That's a win for the challengers, who argued Republicans were trying to force through new boundaries too close to voting.

Three strikes and the map is still out, but Missouri Republicans haven't said whether they'll try a fourth time before the next election.