A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use its Republican-favored 2025 redistricting map in November, despite the Supreme Court declining twice this month to intervene in the dispute.

The Supreme Court allowed a decision from the Missouri Supreme Court to take effect earlier this month, which ordered Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to use the 2022 map that favored Republicans in a 6-2 split.

The new 2025 map, which was used in the state primaries last month, favors Republicans in a 7-1 split by erasing Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based district, according to Politico.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the new map causes the least amount of confusion for voters this year because they have already used the map this year, but it allowed redistricting opponents one week to get relief from the Supreme Court.

“For approximately one year, Missouri operated under the 2025 map," the panel majority wrote. "During that time, Missourians filed to run for Congress, met candidates, watched campaign advertisements, received campaign mail and voted under the 2025 map. 

"Any confusion stems from the last-minute decision by a state court to switch the congressional map," it added.

The ruling comes after experts believed the Supreme Court's latest decision would be the end of the push to use the 2025 redistricting map, but the 8th Circuit judges said last week that they interpreted it as a call to action by the justices.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.