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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Friday turned away an attempt to use a new Missouri congressional map backed by President Donald Trump, putting an end to a long-running legal dispute as absentee voting is underway in the midterm elections.
The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. There were no noted dissents.
The Supreme Court instead let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this month that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum. The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections.
"At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos," the high court wrote in an unsigned opinion. "The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri."
Republicans had hoped the new House map -- which already was used in the August primaries -- could help them win an additional seat as part of a nationwide redistricting battle pushed by Trump to gain an edge in the midterms.
The new map had targeted a district held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
"I think my reelection prospects shot up significantly," a jubilant Cleaver said after the Supreme Court ruling.
A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled Monday that switching districts between the primary and general elections would violate the U.S. Constitution. The panel directed a district judge to bar Missouri from using anything other than the new map but delayed the order's effect until next Monday to allow time for an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Republican Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins described the high court's decision as "a disappointing blow to representative democracy," but added, "I appreciate the final clarity."
The legal wrangling has caused confusion for more than a million potential Missouri voters -- nearly 1 in 4 statewide -- who were shifted from one district to another, resulting in different candidates on their ballots. Absentee voting began Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts. Thousands of ballots already had been mailed, and some already have been cast.
A decision from the Supreme Court is "a big sigh of relief," said Kansas City election director Shawn Kieffer. He added, "We just want it over, so we can do our job properly."
Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight House districts. At the urging of Trump and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers last September passed revised districts that were intended to help them win seven seats in the midterms.