Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri from using old House map after Supreme Court declined case

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. After the U.S, (AP) – A federal judge in Missouri on Tuesday temporarily blocked the state from using its old congressional districts in the November election.

Key points

• Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up an appeal from Missouri's Republican attorney general, leaving in place the injunction from Missouri's top court.
• The federal court action came just days after the Missouri Supreme Court remarked the state cannot apply a new U.S.
• The decisions highlight the bewildering nature of Missouri's redistricting battle.

What happened

For context, the decisions highlight the bewildering nature of Missouri's redistricting battle. It has spanned more than a year and leaves Missouri voters in some parts of the state uncertain which district they will be in on Election Day.

Meanwhile, the federal court action came just days after the Missouri Supreme Court remarked the state cannot apply a new U.S. House map backed by President Donald Trump in the November election since citizens turned in thousands of petition signatures demanding a statewide vote on it.

Notably, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up an appeal from Missouri's Republican attorney general, leaving in place the injunction from Missouri's top court. But moments afterwards, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting Missouri from using anything other than the new districts backed by Republicans.

The bottom line

In short, federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri from using old House map after Supreme is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.