# Justice Kavanaugh Declines Missouri's Emergency Request Over Congressional Map

Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected an emergency application from Missouri seeking to implement a congressional redistricting map before the 2024 elections. The state had asked the Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings that blocked the map, which voting rights advocates contended would dilute minority representation.

The map at issue follows Missouri's 2020 census redistricting cycle. Lower courts found that the state's proposed boundaries potentially violated the Voting Rights Act by packing minority voters into certain districts, thereby reducing their electoral influence across other districts. Missouri argued the map complied with constitutional and statutory requirements and sought emergency relief to use it in the upcoming election.

Kavanaugh's decision to deny the application without written opinion keeps the lower court injunction in place, preventing Missouri from implementing the disputed map. The Justice's refusal to intervene follows the Supreme Court's established practice of avoiding last-minute changes to election rules close to voting dates, though the Court has made exceptions in certain cases.

This dispute reflects broader litigation over congressional redistricting nationwide. Republican-controlled states have pushed maps favoring Republican candidates, while voting rights groups have challenged them under the Voting Rights Act and constitutional equal protection provisions. Courts have split on whether such maps improperly dilute minority voting power or represent lawful partisan redistricting.

The practical effect of Kavanaugh's order means Missouri must proceed with an alternative map for the 2024 cycle unless it obtains relief from another judicial source. The decision does not address the underlying merits of the Voting Rights Act claim, leaving open the possibility that the full Court could revisit redistricting standards in future cases.

This case exemplifies the recurring tension between voting rights enforcement and states' redistricting authority. Lower courts increasingly scrutinize maps that appear to minimize minority electoral influence, while some just