We have an answer on the Missouri Map saga sooner than we expected. The Supreme Court has spoken: The application for stay filed by the supporters of the referendum (i.e., in favor of the old Missouri map) has been granted.
The order, entered by the Court Thursday morning, reads as follows:
Application (26A326) for stay presented to Justice Kavanaugh and by him referred to the Court is granted. The September 8, 2026 order entered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in case No. 4:26–cv–1424 is stayed pending the disposition of the appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari in this Court, if such a writ is timely sought. Should certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court.
This comes just a few minutes before Missouri's Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, is set to appear before the Missouri Supreme Court (SCOMO) to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for ordering local election officials to use the new map (pursuant to the federal TRO) rather than the old map, as previously ordered by SCOMO.
What this means, for now, is that Clark's TRO is no longer in effect and the old (6-2) map is once again the map slated for use in November. Now, is this definitively set in stone? I wouldn't say that. We've already seen all manner of legal maneuvering on these matters. But for now, this is a blow to Republicans and the new 7-1 map in Missouri.
This is a developing story.