A Missouri state court judge on Sunday blocked the Republican-drawn congressional map, ruling that the mid-decade redistricting plan likely violated the state constitution and could not be used for the 2026 midterm elections. The order came after Democratic and voting-rights groups sued in Cole County.

Missouri's Republican-controlled legislature approved the new map earlier this year at the urging of national party leaders seeking to protect the GOP's narrow House majority. The plan aimed to convert one Democratic-leaning district around Kansas City into a Republican seat, a move Democrats condemned as a partisan power grab.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and allied plaintiffs argued that the legislature lacked authority to redraw districts outside the normal decennial cycle. State attorneys defended the map as a lawful exercise of legislative power and signaled an immediate appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.

The ruling intensified a national fight over redistricting, with Texas, Ohio, and California also engaged in mid-decade map battles. Democratic officials welcomed the decision, while Missouri's Republican Secretary of State warned that continued litigation could disrupt candidate filing and ballot preparation.

Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican, said in a statement that the administration would "vigorously defend the will of the legislature" and expected the state Supreme Court to reverse the lower court's decision before the election.