By Andrew Chung
Sept 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to reinstate a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri ahead of November’s midterm elections, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump and the party’s odds of maintaining its slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied Missouri’s emergency request to suspend a state Supreme Court ruling that blocked the map, a decision that preserves the Kansas City-based seat of longtime Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, whose district would have been dismantled under the redrawn boundaries.
Kavanaugh, who handles emergency matters from Missouri and several other states, did not refer the matter to the nine-member court before issuing the decision. He did not provide any reasons for the decision, as is common with orders on such requests.
Missouri Republicans adopted the map as part of a broader effort backed by Trump to redraw congressional districts in ways that could benefit Republican candidates.
The seven-member Missouri Supreme Court, which includes five Republican-appointed judges, unanimously ruled on September 3 that the Republican-drawn map must be approved by voters in a November referendum before it can take effect.
“We are disappointed by this ruling, and are evaluating next steps as related litigation continues,” the office of Missouri Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement.
Republicans hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the U.S. House, including one independent who caucuses with Republicans.
While both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states drew new maps as part of an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting war, Republicans eventually emerged as the winners.
Republicans improved their chances in 16 districts, including Cleaver’s seat in Missouri, while Democrats secured an edge in six districts.
The effort repeatedly drew the U.S. Supreme Court into disputes over congressional redistricting. A major Supreme Court ruling limiting the reach of the landmark Voting Rights Act and subsequent actions by the court permitted several conservative Southern states to eliminate districts with significant Black populations.
The challenge in Missouri began after a group formed to oppose the new map, People Not Politicians, had collected enough signatures to file for a referendum under a provision in the state constitution that authorizes a ballot measure to approve any legislative act.
Missouri’s Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, the state’s top election official, rejected the petition, finding that state constitutional language does not apply to congressional redistricting.
The Missouri court dismissed that argument. “The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” Judge Ginger Gooch wrote for the court. The redrawn map “will not go into effect unless and until approved by voters,” Gooch said.
Hanaway’s office told the U.S. Supreme Court that the decision forces Missouri to revert to an older electoral map in November’s elections even though the state had already held primary elections in August using the new map.
(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Howard Goller)
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