Republican judges defy Supreme Court to boost GOP in midterms.

Key Points:

• The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, led by Republican judges including Trump appointees, ruled for Missouri Republicans to use new gerrymandered congressional districts in the November election, defying state law and a prior U.S. Supreme Court order.
• The panel justified its ruling by citing the elections clause of the U.S. Constitution, creating a new right to vote in the same district in both primary and general elections, an interpretation experts say is unprecedented and conflicts with established precedent.
• The Missouri Supreme Court, which has final authority on state law, ruled against the gerrymandered districts and ordered a referendum petition to proceed, but the 8th Circuit ignored this and prioritized federal intervention, escalating a jurisdictional conflict.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has twice rejected the 8th Circuit’s attempts to uphold the GOP-favored map and is expected to do so again, reinforcing limits on federal courts overturning state court rulings on election district maps.
• This ongoing legal battle highlights tensions between state and federal courts over election law, with potential consequences for Missouri voters who may face different districts in the general election than in the primary, and ongoing lawsuits against state officials for election mismanagement.