Legal Analysis

Map Drama in Missouri Draws 

Rebuke, Validates Voters Rights

    WASHINGTON — (ACLU) -- 9/27/2026  -- The U.S. Supreme Court has, for a third time, declined to allow an unlawful congressional map to be used in the 2026 midterm elections in Missouri.

    Less than two months before Election Day, two congressional candidates and two voters attempted to force the state once again to use the 2025 map that was a result of mid-decade redistricting, even though it had already been ruled unlawful by the Missouri Supreme Court, a ruling twice left in place by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Campaign Legal Center, the ACLU of Missouri and ACLU Voting Rights Project filed amicus briefs at the Missouri Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and three times at the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently on September 22, 2026, urging the Court to stay a rogue decision of the Eighth Circuit and a federal district court attempting to resurrect the 2025 map. Today the Supreme Court stayed those lower court decisions, definitively confirming that the 2026 election must take place under the lawful 2022 map.

   Mark Gaber, senior director of redistricting at Campaign Legal Center: “The gerrymandered map passed in 2025 in Missouri was never law, and yet self-interested, partisan politicians, and now two lower federal courts, have repeatedly attempted to impose it on voters for the 2026 midterms. This case should never have reached the Supreme Court three times, but we’re glad that the final outcome of these cases is Missourians having the opportunity to vote under a lawful map this fall.”

    Gillian Wilcox, director of litigation and policy for the ACLU of Missouri: “Politicians and elected officials have unleashed unnecessary but intentional chaos on Missouri voters, not for the benefit of their constituents but for themselves and the state actors in D.C. who designed and demanded these maps solely for partisan power grab. Voting has already begun and today's decision closes the door on the politicians’ shenanigans."

    Ming Cheung, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project: "The people of Missouri have the right to go to the polls and reject the State's attempt to gerrymander their congressional districts, and the Supreme Court has now confirmed, for the third time in as many weeks, that the State's unlawful districts cannot be used this November. Voting has already begun, and all efforts to cause confusion and chaos must cease. This saga began in 2025 when politicians tried to rig the map and take away representation from Kansas City residents, but the courts have now made clear that voters — not politicians — decide who represents them.”

Background:

    In September 2025, the Missouri General Assembly passed House Bill 1 (H.B. 1) which created a new, mid-decade, gerrymandered congressional map. In response, the people of Missouri exercised their rights under the Missouri Constitution by collecting signatures for a referendum petition on H.B. 1.

    On December 9, 2025, Missourians submitted over 300,000 signatures in support of the referendum. Under the Missouri Constitution, this should have suspended the implementation of the new map until voters had an opportunity to either approve or disapprove of it in the next election. However, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify the referendum petition and attempted to force voters to vote under the unlawful map.

    Secretary Hoskins’ actions were met with swift legal action, and after moving through multiple lawsuits, the U.S. Supreme Court denied multiple efforts by him and other political actors to retain the unlawful 2025 map in the upcoming midterms.

    This latest decision from the Supreme Court comes after an appeal of an Eighth Circuit ruling that the unlawful map must be used.   --  Initial date of press release: 9/25/26

Policy Impact

Analysis Shows Consequence

of Cuts to Food Programs

in Deep South

    MONTGOMERY, Ala.-- (SPLC) 9/6/2026 --  Just over a year since the dubiously named “One Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1) was signed into law, communities across the country are more clearly seeing the ramifications of the massive cuts that are decimating basic needs programs designed to help families keep food on their tables. Coinciding with Hunger Action Month, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recently released new research examining the impacts of the Trump administration’s nearly $190 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

    The SPLC’s research explores how H.R. 1 will create additional barriers for Black and rural communities who have faced a history of discrimination in food assistance policy and how states throughout the Deep South have responded to funding gaps created by the legislation.

    “The decision to cut families off from SNAP to help pay for tax breaks for the extraordinarily wealthy showed blatant disregard for the reality that everyday people, especially in the Deep South, have been living,” said Gina Azito Thompson, policy analyst, SPLC. “A year after H.R. 1 was signed, household bills are still far too high for so many families struggling to survive this affordability crisis, and yet many are callously being told to fend for themselves when it comes to putting food on the table.”

    A critical lifeline for people experiencing hunger, SNAP provides food assistance to more than 6.1 million people in the Deep South, or approximately 15% of all SNAP households in the country. Unfortunately, H.R. 1 not only initiated the largest federal funding cuts to SNAP in history, but it also expanded work reporting requirements for older adults and parents of children aged 14 and older, restricting eligibility for the program. From July 2025 to April 2026, SNAP participation nationwide fell by an estimated 4.5 million people. And between July 2025 and February 2026, SNAP enrollments in the Deep South fell by about:

• Alabama: 40,000 (5.5%)
• Florida: 300,000 (10.6%)
• Georgia: 80,000 (6.0%)
• Louisiana: 120,000 (14.9%)
• Mississippi: 34,000 (9.5%)

    States are also grappling with a steep increase in costs to run the program. While the federal government had previously covered half of the administrative costs for SNAP, states will now be required to shoulder 75% of the expenses. They could also face drastic financial penalties for inaccuracies in assistance distribution. By fiscal year 2028 (October 2027), states may have to pay hundreds of millions more just to keep the same number of people enrolled in SNAP.

    “Our states are already feeling the dire consequences of H.R. 1 cuts on their budgets. And while they have increased funding to cover the added administrative costs of SNAP for next year, these are temporary fixes that sometimes end up pulling money from other critical programs like childcare assistance,” said Theresa Lau, senior policy counsel, SPLC. “When the extremely steep costs hit in late 2027 and they can’t find those quick fixes, we unfortunately know how many of our states are primed to respond: further cuts to assistance and new eligibility requirements that kick even more people off of these programs. Families in the Deep South won’t be able to afford that.”

    Additionally, the SPLC’s research outlines a number of actions that both federal and state governments can take to shore up food assistance programs, as well as healthcare programs, which also saw drastic cuts due to H.R. 1, resulting in significant loss of insurance coverage for Americans.

    Poverty, food insecurity, poor nutrition and health are closely intertwined, underscoring the importance of effective healthcare and food assistance programs, especially for communities in the Deep South. To help raise awareness about the interconnected systemic issues that trap communities in harmful economic conditions, the SPLC launched the Poverty Is Not a Line campaign earlier this year, which explores how to understand the experiences of people living in poverty. While the campaign aims to build momentum for policy solutions to address issues such as food insecurity, community members can also take direct action to help combat the hunger crisis in the United States by donating to and volunteering at local food banks.  Press release date: 9/3/26)