Missouri Congressional Redistricting Referendum Challenge (Onder)

Onder v. Missouri

Filed: September 4, 2026

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to force Missouri to use a Republican-backed congressional map and block the state from reverting to its prior map for the 2026 general election.

Background

U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, Republican congressional nominee Rick Brattin and two Missouri voters filed a lawsuit against Missouri and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. The lawsuit asks a federal court to require Missouri to use House Bill 1 (HB 1), a congressional map passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2025, for the 2026 general election. The plaintiffs filed the case after the Missouri Supreme Court ordered the state to use the 2022 congressional map instead of the HB 1 map for the November election. They argue that using a different map in the general election than the one used in the August primary violates the U.S. Constitution and would create voter confusion.

Why It Matters

This lawsuit seeks to preserve a mid-decade congressional map enacted by Missouri Republicans and limit the effect of a voter-backed referendum challenge to that map. If successful, the case could keep Missouri’s 2026 congressional elections on the HB 1 map despite state-court litigation over whether voters can challenge the plan. It also raises broader questions about whether courts can block voters from using direct democracy tools to challenge congressional redistricting plans.

Latest Updates

Sept. 8, 2026: The court granted People Not Politicians’ motion to intervene as defendants. The court granted plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order, ordering Missouri to use the gerrymandered map for the midterms. The ruling came right after Justice Kavanaugh denied Republicans’ stay application with the U.S. Supreme Court. People Not Politicians filed a stay motion in the district court. People Not Politicians appealed the order to the 8th Circuit and filed an emergency stay motion.
Sept. 7, 2026: People Not Politicians filed a motion to dismiss.

Sept. 6, 2026: Missouri filed its response. Republicans filed their opposition to People Not Politicians’ motion to intervene as defendants. Missouri filed a motion to dismiss.