The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Missouri from using a Republican-backed congressional map for the November midterms, marking the second time this week the court intervened in the state's redistricting battle. The brief, unsigned order left no dissents and deferred to the Missouri Supreme Court, which had invalidated the GOP-friendly lines and required a voter referendum before adoption. The ruling creates uncertainty just two months before the general election, as Missouri held primaries last month under the now-invalidated map.

Using different maps for primary and general elections is rare legal territory with no clear court guidance on nominee selection. The order arrived as the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City prepared to hear arguments on whether to hold Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt for not reverting to the 2022 map, which favors Democrats in the Kansas City area. William J.

Seidleck, a lawyer for the attorney general's office, said officials were "evaluating next steps." The ballot finalization deadline passed Tuesday. Redistricting opponents, including Richard von Glahn of People Not Politicians Missouri, declared the decision settled the map question. Earlier, Justice Brett M.

Kavanaugh paused the new map, but U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark in St. Louis countermanded that order, citing a separate GOP lawsuit. Judge Clark's ruling came at the request of a Republican congressman and a primary winner under the new lines, a map drawn at President Trump's request to flip the Kansas City seat.