Appeals panel orders Missouri's Trump-backed map revived; Supreme Court blocks it a third time

What happened

• The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, the federal appeals court covering Missouri, heard arguments on September 17, 2026 and ruled four days later.
• The panel wrote that the Constitution does not permit Missouri to use a different congressional district map in the November 2026 general election than it used in the August 2026 primary.
• The panel directed Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark to enter a permanent order barring any map but the 2025 one, and to hold it until 5 p.m. CDT on September 28.

Pushback

• Richard von Glahn, executive director of the voting group People Not Politicians Missouri, said ballots had been printed, Missourians had already voted, and thousands more would vote before the order took effect.
• The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities told the appeals judges in a filing that switching districts at that date would be "practically impossible" and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Where it stands

• The U.S. Supreme Court, for the third time in less than a month, paused the appeals court ruling in a five-page unsigned order, and said the lower courts must not require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 election.