Onder v. State of Missouri
Federal suit contesting which congressional map applies to Missouri's 2026 election.
Onder v. State of Missouri lost its second round at the US Supreme Court on 25 September 2026, when the justices stayed an appeals order for the 2025 map and left Missouri voting on its 2022 districts on 3 November.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Onder v. State of Missouri
Produced the 25 September per curiam opinion
US Midterms 2026: Justices keep Missouri on its 2022 mapMentioned in: 8th Circuit puts Missouri on 2025 map
US Midterms 2026Supreme Court stays the Missouri TRO
US Midterms 2026Background
Onder v. State of Missouri is a federal lawsuit over which congressional map Missouri must use for its 2026 House elections. Robert Onder and three Republican co-plaintiffs brought it to enforce HB 1, the map the Republican-led legislature drew in 2025, after the state moved away from it.
The case began in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, where Chief Judge Stephen R. Clark issued a temporary restraining order pointing the state at the 2025 map. the Supreme Court stayed that order on 10 September 2026, after Justice Kavanaugh referred the application to the full Court; no dissent was noted. A second stay followed on 25 September.
The case matters beyond 2026 because it tests how far federal courts will intervene in a state's choice of congressional map once an election is under way. The 25 September order turned on timing, leaving the underlying merits for later.
Election timing defeated the plaintiffs twice
The plaintiffs' best day came on 21 September 2026, when the 8th Circuit ordered Missouri to use HB 1, its 2025 map, for November. the Court paused its own order until 28 September, and opponents went to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, by then several days after Missouri had mailed overseas ballots on the older 2022 lines.
On 25 September the Supreme Court stayed the 8th Circuit, with no noted dissent. The justices said the election had already begun, with overseas ballots out since 18 September, and faulted Missouri's chief election officer, Denny Hoskins, for holding the August primary under the newer lines. For the case, the stakes are one seat: the 2022 map is expected to elect six Republicans and two Democrats, the 2025 map seven and one.
What is Onder v. State of Missouri about?
Reference
Who are the parties in the Missouri congressional map lawsuit?
Who are the plaintiffs in Onder v. State of Missouri?
Which congressional map is Missouri using for the 2026 election?
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What court is hearing the appeal in Onder v. State of Missouri?
Why did the Supreme Court block the 8th Circuit's Missouri map order?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.