2026 congressional redistricting legal battles
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
Missouri voters angry over Trump bid to alter electoral maps
People not Politicians turned in more than 300,000 signatures for a referendum on the redistricting map.
Richard von Glahn is the executive director of People not Politicians.
Hoskins refused to certify the referendum measure, announcing on 4 August that the referendum process could not apply to redistricting.
Failed attempt to keep Florida district Black
Debbie Wasserman Schultz won the Democratic primary for Florida's 20th congressional district with 45% of the vote.
Alcee Hastings was impeached and removed by Congress on bribery charges.
The four Black candidates in the primary collectively split 55% of the vote.
Hundreds gather in Mississippi to protest Republican redistricting
The full Mississippi legislature is expected to convene in a special session later in 2026 to redraw state legislative maps.
Members of the Mississippi legislature's joint redistricting committee held eight redistricting hearings across the state, with the last one taking place Thursday evening in Jackson.
Lawmakers will likely target Thompson's seat before he is up for re-election in 2028.
US Supreme Court again blocks Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map
Using the 2022 map means voters in 28 counties will be in different districts in November than they were in the August 4 primary.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on September 3 that the referendum petition from People Not Politicians was a legal use of the referendum power and that the 2025 map never went into effect.
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ordered that Missouri's 2022 congressional map, not the 2025 map, be used in the 2026 congressional election.
Supreme Court rejects Republican redistricting push in Missouri for third time
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said the Supreme Court's ruling meant the general election will use a different map than the one used in the primary elections.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said he was 'very happy' with the ruling and relieved the issue is settled for November.
Hoskins delayed a decision on whether the referendum push was legitimate until the eve of the primary, then rejected the proposal and ordered the new map to be used.
Supreme Court blocks Missouri from using new congressional map in 2026 election
The Supreme Court wrote that ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos.
Absorbent voting began Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts.
About 59% of potential voters were new to Cleaver's district under the revised map, according to an Associated Press estimate.
Missouri Republicans' gerrymander battle and blame of state supreme court
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the gerrymandered map never legally took effect and cannot be used until voters approve it through a ballot measure in November.
Missouri Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court to expand the Purcell principle to restrain state court decisions.
The Missouri Supreme Court issued its order changing the congressional map on September 3, 2026.
Eighth Circuit rules Missouri must use 2025 congressional map in November election
Absentee voting is already underway in Missouri using districts adopted in 2022.
Republicans hope the new map could help them win seven of Missouri's eight House seats.
The U.S. Supreme Court gave supporters of the new map until midday Wednesday to respond to the latest appeal.
“The Supreme Court of Missouri, the United States Supreme Court, the Missouri Attorney General, Missouri Secretary of State and People Not Politicians all have agreed on this. Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted. Thousands more will vote before this order seeks to take effect. Officials should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on pointless legal action and instead focus on administering our elections. Missourians are already voting and will continue to vote no on Proposition A through November 3.”
Appeals court rules for Trump-backed Missouri congressional maps
Missouri is set to run its November election with the same congressional districts it used in 2024 and 2022.
The US Supreme Court has twice sided against the Trump-backed map.
Missouri used the new Republican-drawn districts in its August primary.
Appeals court weighs Missouri congressional map despite Supreme Court block
Missouri used the new Republican-drawn U.S. House districts in its August primary.
A federal appeals court panel considered an attempt to resurrect new Missouri congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.
Missouri state law requires absentee ballots to be available to all voters other than overseas citizens and military voters by the following Tuesday.
'MAGA Act' proposed to shift House seats from Democratic states
The video of Rep. Yvette Clarke is from a 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee briefing.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states that House seats will be apportioned after counting the whole number of persons in each State without specifying citizenship status.
The legislation would add a new question to the 2030 census asking people whether they are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national but not a citizen, an alien lawfully residing in the United States, or an alien unlawfully residing in the United States.
Supreme Court blocks Missouri's use of newly drawn Republican congressional map
The Supreme Court's decision puts on hold a ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark that the new map must be used.
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked an attempt by a Republican state official in Missouri to use a newly drawn GOP congressional map for this year’s elections.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins directed local election authorities to use the 2022 congressional map as a result of the Supreme Court action.
U.S. Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed congressional map in Missouri
Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to enact new districts after Trump urged Republicans to redraw House districts to their advantage.
State attorneys representing Hoskins asked Clark to halt the contempt hearing, but he declined.
The delay allowed Missouri to use the new districts in its August primary.
Federal judge backs Missouri House map after Supreme Court declines case
Cleaver was unopposed in the Democratic primary and State Sen. Rick Brattin won the Republican primary in the reshaped district.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order allowing Missouri to use a new congressional map that favors Republicans.
Hoskins assigned the redistricting referendum as Proposition A on the November ballot.
Conflicting court rulings on Missouri map threaten November election
Brett Kavanaugh denied an emergency request from Missouri officials to use a redrawn congressional map in November.
The Missouri supreme court previously ruled that the new map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts.
A federal judge in Missouri temporarily prevented the state from using its old congressional maps.
Missouri court opens contempt probe into Republican official over redistricting fight
U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark ruled that the state must use the map that people voted in during the primary.
The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed with Hoskins, saying there was nothing in state law that exempted congressional maps passed by the Legislature from being vetoed by voters via the referendum process.
The Missouri Supreme Court ordered Hoskins to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating its ruling that the state cannot use the new map.
Missouri gerrymandered congressional map case heads to US Supreme Court
People Not Politicians filed an emergency application with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to stay a ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark.
The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied an application for a stay of Clark's ruling.
The Missouri Supreme Court set a hearing for 10 a.m. Thursday and ordered Hoskins to be present.
Missouri congressional map gerrymandering dispute reaches supreme court amid conflicting federal rulings
A federal appeals court panel declined to block a ruling ordering Missouri to use the newly drawn congressional lines backed by Donald Trump.
The 2025 redistricting plan targeted the fifth congressional district held by Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City by reassigning parts of Kansas City to two neighboring Republican districts and stretching the remainder eastward into rural Republican areas.
The Missouri Supreme Court held that because the referendum petition was filed before the new map took effect, the 2025 districts never became law and the map used in 2022 and 2024 remains in effect.
“Using a different map for the general election would wreak havoc on the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections, calling into question the candidacy of those nominated in the primaries and the votes of those who voted in the primaries. Widespread voter confusion would inevitably follow,”
Missouri Supreme Court threatens secretary of state with contempt amid redistricting battle
Hoskins said he would keep using the congressional districts redrawn last year despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision leaving standing a state Supreme Court order requiring Missouri to use its old districts.
Hoskins was instructed to appear in court Thursday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for instructing election officials to use the 2025 congressional map despite an injunction barring its use.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she was prepared to comply with Clark's order.
Missouri congressional maps in legal chaos; Supreme Court rejects GOP-backed map
Republicans hold 219 seats in the 435-seat US House of Representatives.
The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that voters must approve the Republican-backed map in a statewide referendum before it can be used.
Missouri joined several other right-leaning states, including Texas, in heeding Trump's call to redraw congressional districts to favor Republican candidates.
“Using a different map for the general election would wreak havoc on the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections, calling into question the candidacy of those nominated in the primaries and the votes of those who voted in the primaries. Widespread voter confusion would inevitably follow,”
Missouri Supreme Court rules redistricting map must go on ballot
President Donald Trump called the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling ridiculous and argued it was unconstitutional.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to allow the new congressional map to be used in the November election.
The new Missouri map targeted Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-area district by shifting it eastward to include rural right-leaning voters.
“The secretary and all of those acting in concert with him are restrained and enjoined from implementing, using or mandating the use of the congressional redistricting in HB 1 for the November 2026 general election or at any other time thereafter unless and until HB 1 is approved by the voters at the November 2026 general election and takes effect 30 days thereafter,”
Missouri court refuses to delay congressional map ruling, setting up Supreme Court appeal
Missouri Republican officials filed an application to Justice Brett Kavanaugh asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling on congressional maps.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said an appeal was coming after the Missouri Supreme Court issued its decision.
The Missouri Supreme Court denied a request from Secretary of State Hoskins to pause its order requiring the November 3 congressional election to use the districts in place for the 2024 election.
Missouri Supreme Court blocks congressional maps backed by Trump for midterms
The congressional map adopted after the 2020 census remains in effect for the November 2026 general election.
Richard von Glahn is the executive director of People Not Politicians.
Missouri attorney general Catherine Hanaway said she would immediately appeal to the US supreme court.
Missouri Supreme Court throws out Trump-backed congressional maps
The new congressional map was signed into law in September 2025.
Gov. Mike Kehoe said he is extremely disappointed in the decision by unelected judges.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, plans to immediately appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Missouri court blocks GOP-drawn US House map for November election
Missouri's congressional map adopted after the 2020 census remains in effect for the November 2026 general election.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely.
Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin won an August primary in the reshaped 5th Congressional District.
Democrats challenge Georgia congressional map under new SCOTUS rules
The 11th Circuit did not automatically grant plaintiffs a new trial or authorize them to rebuild their case from the beginning.
The appeals court instructed Jones to reconsider the challenge under the new framework established in Louisiana v. Callais.
Georgia enacted replacement maps that satisfied Jones' order and those maps were used in the 2024 elections and remain in place for the 2026 election cycle.
Democrats' redistricting push in blue state hits legal snag
Democrats control seven of Maryland's eight congressional districts.
County Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson ruled that Democrats had violated state deadlines for adding ballot measures.
Rep. Andy Harris is the lone Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation.
Maryland court rules redistricting amendment cannot go on November ballot
Republican Rep. Andy Harris is the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
The amendment would declare that a constitutional requirement for districts to be compact and take into account natural boundaries applies only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones.
Judge Robert Thompson ruled that the amendment violates a single-issue requirement in the constitution.
“The court has no choice but to enjoin the board of elections from including ballot Question 3 on the general election ballot for November 3, 2026,”
Missouri judge hands Trump and GOP major redistricting win ahead of midterms
“do not apply to congressional redistricting enacted by the General Assembly,”
Maryland plans August special session for 2028 redistricting
Maryland will hold a special legislative session in August to begin the process of potentially redrawing its congressional lines ahead of the 2028 election.
Legislators will vote on a state constitutional amendment that could codify their ability to make partisan, mid-decade changes to the state congressional map.
The move is state Democrats' answer to Republican redistricting efforts in the South that sped up after the Supreme Court rolled back the Voting Rights Act in April.