Trump Rebukes Supreme Court After It Rejects Missouri GOP Map for 3rd Time - Newsweek
President Donald Trump criticized the U.S. Supreme Court on Sunday after the justices rejected efforts to revive a Republican-backed Missouri congressional map for the third time this month.
"The Supreme Court of the United States will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They continuously, three times now, overrule Judges who came to the correct decisions."
Trump thanked Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and supporters in the state "who are fighting so hard for Fairness and Election Security," adding that he had won Missouri "BIG, all three times."
The post marks Trump's latest response to a redistricting battle that Republicans hoped would help them gain an additional U.S. House seat in this year's midterm elections.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Sunday.
Friday's decision was the latest setback for Republicans seeking to implement a congressional map approved by Missouri lawmakers in 2025 and backed by Trump.
In an unsigned opinion, the justices said switching maps at such a late stage would create "electoral chaos" and allowed Missouri to continue using the congressional districts adopted after the 2020 census.
The justices also emphasized that the election process was already underway, writing, "Ballots using the 2022 map have been printed and mailed. Absentee voting has already begun, as has military and overseas voting."
The court also cited Missouri election officials, who said it was "practically impossible" to revert to the 2025 map at that point. The ruling now leaves voters casting ballots under the same district lines that were used in Missouri's 2022 and 2024 elections.
Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight seats in the U.S. House and had sought to use the revised map to create an opportunity to gain a seventh seat.
"It is disappointing that today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court means Missouri will conduct its November general election under a different congressional map than its primary election," Kehoe posted Friday on X. "Voters deserved consistency and certainty, and not for the rules to be changed between elections. Nevertheless, Missouri will follow the Court’s order."
The dispute centers on a congressional map approved by Missouri Republicans in 2025.
Supporters argued the map more accurately reflected Missouri's Republican lean, while opponents said it was designed to strengthen the GOP's hold on power.
The battle escalated after the group People Not Politicians gathered signatures for a statewide referendum challenging the map. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the petition, arguing referendum procedures did not apply to congressional redistricting.
The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed, ruling earlier this month that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely. The court said the map could not take effect unless voters approved it.
The dispute has generated at least 16 lawsuits in state and federal courts.
Trump has repeatedly condemned court rulings that blocked the Republican-backed map.
After the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on September 3 that the map required voter approval before taking effect, Trump called the decision a "Dark Day for 'Justice' in Missouri!"
At the time, he described the ruling as "horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional" and argued it would create confusion by changing congressional districts close to the election.
The Republican National Committee also blasted the ruling. Ally Triolo, the RNC's election integrity communications director, previously told Newsweek that changing the rules after primary ballots had been cast was "reckless and wrong" and said the party was evaluating options to challenge the decision.
The 2025 map significantly reshaped Missouri's 5th Congressional District, which includes much of Kansas City and is represented by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
The new boundaries removed portions of Kansas City from the district and extended the district farther east into rural Republican areas. The changes also affected voters in several other congressional districts.
The new districts were used in Missouri's August primary, but the November election will be conducted under the previous district boundaries. Republican state Senator Rick Brattin won the GOP primary for the 5th District under the revised boundaries. Cleaver was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Both remain the candidates for the general election despite the change in district boundaries.
Supporters of the map argued the changes could help Republicans expand their congressional advantage in a state Trump carried comfortably in all three of his presidential campaigns. Opponents argued the map would dilute Democratic voting strength and unfairly benefit Republicans in the fight for control of the House.
With Republicans holding only a narrow majority in the chamber, congressional map battles have attracted heightened attention ahead of the midterms.
A statewide referendum on the 2025 congressional map is scheduled to appear on the November ballot. If voters approve it, the map will take effect after the election. If they reject it, the current districts will remain in place.
Opponents of the map welcomed Friday's ruling. Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, said in a previous statement to Newsweek: "We are done with corrupt politicians trying to force their map into effect outside the process outlined in the Missouri constitution. We have said from the beginning, people, not politicians will be the final deciders on this DC power grab. We are moving forward to vote NO on Proposition A."
For now, the Supreme Court's ruling ensures Missouri's November election will proceed under the congressional boundaries used in the state's two previous election cycles.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.
