A federal judge Tuesday revived Missouri Republicans’ congressional gerrymander for the 2026 midterms, just after Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected the state’s separate emergency effort* to restore the map.
Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring Missouri to conduct the November congressional elections under House Bill 1 (HB 1), the GOP-drawn map that the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week had never legally taken effect.
Clark’s order bars Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) and officials working with him from “implementing, using, publishing, distributing, or mandating the use of any congressional district map other than the HB 1 map” for the Nov. 3 general election.
The order will remain in effect for 14 days while the court prepares to consider a longer preliminary injunction.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said the state would comply with Clark’s order and use the HB 1 map in November, while reiterating the state’s argument that switching congressional maps between the primary and general election would be unworkable and unfair to voters.
“Missouri is prepared to follow and comply with Chief Judge Clark’s order,” Hanaway wrote, adding that the state maintains such a mid-election map change is “simply not feasible and profoundly unjust to Missouri voters.”
