# Republican Judges Defy Supreme Court to Boost GOP

> 8th Circuit judges force Missouri to use gerrymandered districts despite Supreme Court order.
- Title: Republican Judges Defy Supreme Court to Boost GOP | Shortify
- Summary: 8th Circuit judges force Missouri to use gerrymandered districts despite Supreme Court order. Missouri Republicans used gerrymandered districts for November…
- Keywords: 8th circuit, missouri, gerrymandered districts, congressional districts, republican judges, supreme court, brett kavanaugh, 2026 midterms, election law, state supreme court, missouri supreme court, republican secretary of state
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/republican-judges-supreme-court-gop-midterms-boost.html?via=rss
- Author: Billy Corriher
- Published: 2026-09-23T20:54:36.15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: 8th circuit, missouri, gerrymandered districts, congressional districts, republican judges, supreme court, brett kavanaugh, 2026 midterms, election law, state supreme court, missouri supreme court, republican secretary of state
## What happened?
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Missouri Republicans to use gerrymandered congressional districts in November 2026 elections.

> The 8th Circuit was already smacked down by the Supreme Court, twice, for intervening in this lawsuit
## Who was involved?
The panel included two Trump appointees and one Republican judge.

> The panel includes a couple of donald trump appointees and another republican
## When and where?
The ruling occurred in Missouri for November 2026 elections.

> The judges noted that if the districts that comply with state law are used, more than 1.4 million missourians could not vote for the congressional district nominees
## Why did they do it?
To help Republicans maintain control of Congress by using districts that violate state law.

> The 8th Circuit didn’t bother to explain whether any of those circumstances also violates a constitutional provision that doesn’t ever mention primary elections
## What did they say?
Federal courts must intervene in state-law matters if they affect federal elections.

> Allowing state courts to issue, without any federal-court review, last-minute decisions affecting the conduct of federal elections would potentially allow a handful of state judges to render decisions that decide the outcome of a presidential election
## What happened next?
The Supreme Court ordered Missouri to comply with the state court’s ruling on district legality.

> The justices in washington have declined several republican attempts to upset state-court rulings on gerrymandering
## What’s the problem?
The districts violate state law and could disenfranchise over 1.4 million voters.

> More than 1.4 million missourians could not vote for the congressional district nominees who will appear on their november 2026 general election ballot
## Why is this big?
It expands federal courts’ power to override state law in election matters.

> The 8th Circuit didn’t bother to explain whether any of those circumstances also violates a constitutional provision that doesn’t ever mention primary elections
## What’s next?
Missouri must hold elections in different districts than used for primaries.

> If the u.s. supreme court does the right thing again, missouri will have to scramble to hold the election in different districts than it used for the primary
## What’s the consequence?
Over 1.4 million Missourians risk being disenfranchised in November 2.

> More than 1.4 million missourians could not vote for the congressional district nominees who will appear on their november 2026 general election ballot
## Key takeaway

Missouri Republicans used gerrymandered districts for November 2026 elections after federal judges overruled Supreme Court twice.