
Stephen R. Clark
Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
On 8 September, Stephen R. Clark ordered Missouri to use its HB 1 congressional map; the Supreme Court stayed his temporary order on 10 September.
Last refreshed: 24 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did a federal judge order Missouri to reuse its suspended map?
Timeline for Stephen R. Clark
8th Circuit puts Missouri on 2025 map
US Midterms 2026Supreme Court stays the Missouri TRO
US Midterms 2026Issued a TRO ordering use of the HB 1 map, then refused Hoskins's All Writs Act motion
US Midterms 2026: Federal judge orders HB 1 back into useBackground
Stephen R. Clark is Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. On 8 September 2026, his temporary order on Missouri's congressional map showed how rulings from that court can affect state election administration.
President Donald Trump nominated Clark to the federal bench in April 2018. The Senate confirmed him in May 2019, and he received his Commission the following month. Before joining the bench, he founded the Runnymede Law Group in St Louis and served as its managing partner from 2008 to 2019. He became chief judge on 16 December 2022, succeeding Rodney Sippel.
Clark's map order was stayed
On 8 September, Chief Judge Stephen R. Clark granted a temporary restraining order requiring Missouri to use its HB 1 congressional map. The order followed a request from Robert Onder and three other Republican plaintiffs, placing Clark's court in a dispute over which map would govern the November election.
On 10 September, the Supreme Court stayed Clark's temporary order after Justice Brett Kavanaugh referred the application to the full Court. The unsigned order recorded no dissent, leaving the Court's voting division unknown. The stay suspended Clark's immediate effect on Missouri's election administration while further appeal proceeded.