A three-judge panel of the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that Missouri should use its Republican-drawn, Trump-backed congressional map in November, ordering the lower court judge to issue a permanent injunction against any other map, according to the Associated Press (AP) and The Guardian.
Reverting to the previous districts for the general election would violate the Constitution, the judges said. The ruling has no immediate effect: the panel delayed its own order for a week to allow an appeal, and opponents said they will file an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, which has twice blocked the map. Absentee ballots for military and overseas voters have already gone out under the older districts, and state law requires mail ballots to be available to all other voters by Tuesday. The case is part of the mid-decade redistricting wave Trump pushed in roughly a dozen states ahead of November’s elections.