People Not Politicians v. Onder

609 U. S. ____ (2026) · 9/25/26

The Court grants the application for stay, and the prior stay entered by this Court on September 10, 2026, likewise remains in effect pending any further order of this Court lifting that stay. 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; the District Court and Court of Appeals should not order or otherwise require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.

In 2022, the Missouri Legislature enacted a redistricting map for elections to the U. S. House of Representatives. In 2025, the Missouri Legislature enacted a new map. But under the Missouri Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court of Missouri, a new law such as the 2025 map does not take effect unless and until approved by voters in a referendum in the next election—at least where, as here, the number of voter signatures on the petition suffices to trigger a referendum. Therefore, on September 3, 2026, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the 2025 redistricting map “is not the law…

In short, as a matter of state law, the 2022 map—not the 2025 map—must be used in the 2026 congressional election.