Federal judge orders Missouri to use GOP-preferred congressional map

A federal judge in Missouri ordered the state to use a GOP-preferred congressional map Tuesday, following a state court ruling that would have invalidated the plan for this fall. Judge Stephen R. Clark ruled that using a different map for the general election would cause confusion and disenfranchise voters who had already cast ballots in the primary.

The ruling came after Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh declined to intervene in the matter. The new map, passed by the Republican-led legislature last year, targets a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II around Kansas City.

The state's Supreme Court had ruled last week that the map could not proceed without a referendum, but Clark wrote that the state must use the map anyway for the upcoming November election, pending a hearing on a more permanent order.

Read the full story at rollcall.com.