美最高法院第三度叫停密苏里州共和党国会选区新图US Supreme Court Blocks Missouri Republicans' Congressional Map for Third Time

美国最高法院在周五的裁决中直接向地方法院与上诉法院下达了明确指示。裁决书指出，联邦地方法院和上诉法院不得禁止密苏里州在2026年国会选举中使用2022年划定的选区地图，同时也不得要求该州在该场选举中强制推行2025年版地图。这一决定直接阻止了位于圣路易斯的联邦第八巡回上诉法院此前试图恢复该共和党重划方案的行动。

In its Friday ruling, the Supreme Court issued explicit instructions to lower judicial bodies, stating that the District Court and Court of Appeals should neither enjoin nor prohibit the use of Missouri's 2022 congressional map in the 2026 election, nor require the state to adopt the 2025 map. The directive directly halted an effort by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had moved to enforce the newly redrawn Republican redistricting plan.

这项未署名且未附带任何公开异议的裁定，是在诉讼团体“人民而非政客”提交紧急申请后做出的。最高法院的介入终止了下级联邦法院与该州此前司法裁决之间的冲突，确立了密苏里州在即将到来的11月大选中维持旧有八个国会选区边界的法律状态，即保持现有的共和党六席与民主党两席格局不变。

The high court's decision, issued without noted dissents, granted an emergency application filed by the challenger group People Not Politicians. By overriding the 8th Circuit's intervention, the ruling puts an end to conflicting lower court mandates and establishes that the state must hold its November general election under the older boundaries, preserving the existing delegation split of six Republican seats and two Democratic seats.

最高法院在本次裁决中详细阐述了阻止新地图推行的主要考量，重点指出选举程序不可在进行途中强行变更。裁决书写道，采用2022年地图印制的选票已经完成印制并陆续寄出，军人和海外选民的投票已经展开，部分缺席投票也已于周二启动。法官们认定，在选举进程已经实际运转的极晚时刻强行改回2025年地图，将直接引发严重的选举混乱。

In its ruling, the Supreme Court laid out its primary reasoning for halting the implementation of the new map, emphasizing that election rules cannot be rewritten once balloting has actively begun. The justices wrote that ballots reflecting the 2022 map have already been printed and mailed, noting that overseas and military balloting is currently underway and certain absentee voting commenced on Tuesday. Forcing a reversion to the 2025 boundaries at such a late juncture during an active election would usher in electoral chaos, the court determined.

裁决书重申了最高法院长期以来的司法审慎原则，即下级联邦法院绝不应在选举前夕擅自修改一个州的选举规则。最高法院特别强调，当前中期选举并非仅仅是临近，而是已经切实处于进行状态。由于选举官员已在上周依照旧选区划界向选民发放了选票，此时临时推翻既有安排将对选民投票与计票流程带来难以弥补的程序干扰。

The opinion reiterated the high court's established principle that lower federal courts should avoid altering a state's election rules on the eve of an election. Emphasizing that the midterm contest is not merely upcoming but has already started, the justices pointed to the practical realities faced by local election administrators who had already begun dispatching ballots based on the older boundaries last week. The court concluded that disrupting this active administrative process would undermine electoral order.

这场选区划界纷争源于州级与联邦司法层面的多轮反复拉锯。反对新地图的公民团体收集了足够的签名，成功将该方案提交至11月选票由选民公投。密苏里州最高法院在本月早些时候作出裁决，认定公投倡议意味着该2025年共和党选区地图从未正式生效，也从未具备法律效力。该州最高法院同时对共和党籍州务卿丹尼·霍斯金斯提出批评，指出其在未经选民批准的情况下，仍在8月4日的初选中执意使用了这一未生效的新地图。

The redistricting dispute stemmed from weeks of conflicting rulings between state and federal judiciaries. Opponents of the 2025 map successfully gathered citizen signatures to put the redistricting plan before voters as a November ballot initiative. Earlier this month, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the pending ballot referendum meant the Republican-backed map never took effect and was never legally binding law. The state supreme court faulted Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins for conducting the August 4 primary elections under the new boundaries despite the lack of voter approval.

在州法院作出判决后，联邦司法系统却出现了截然相反的指令。尽管美国最高法院早在9月10日便已下令叫停新地图，但联邦第八巡回上诉法院的三人合议庭在周一维持了联邦地方法官斯蒂芬·克拉克的临时命令，并要求将其转为永久命令，强行恢复2025年地图。诉讼挑战方随后向最高法院紧急申诉，指出第八巡回法院的做法直接违背了最高法院此前的暂缓令，促使最高法院周五第三次出面纠正并最终叫停该联邦上诉法院的裁决。

The jurisdictional conflict deepened when federal courts issued contrary directives. Even after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the map on September 10, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday to uphold a temporary order by U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark favoring the 2025 plan, ordering Clark to make that relief permanent. Challengers immediately filed an emergency application with the high court, arguing the 8th Circuit had undermined the justices' earlier order, which led directly to Friday's definitive Supreme Court intervention.

这项遭到叫停的2025年选区地图方案，是唐纳德·特朗普推动的全国性十年中期重划选区行动的一部分。共和党人在国会众议院仅保持着微弱的席位优势，因此试图通过重划密苏里州第五选区等区域增加共和党选民比例，以此削弱民主党众议员伊曼纽尔·克利弗并争取多赢得一个众议院席位。各州通常仅在每十年初期重新划分选区，但这一轮重划动作使共和党在全国范围内向自身倾斜了大约九到十个选区，加州等州的民主党人随后也以重划选区予以应对。

The blocked 2025 redistricting plan originated from a broader mid-decade push urged by President Donald Trump to safeguard and expand the slim Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. By reshaping Missouri's 5th Congressional District to incorporate more Republican voters, the measure aimed to capture the seat held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver. While states typically redraw maps only at the start of each decade, this nationwide redistricting effort ultimately tilted roughly nine to ten districts toward the GOP, prompting reciprocal map redrawing by Democrats in states including California.

最高法院裁决出炉后，密苏里州各方迅速作出了不同回应。共和党籍州长迈克·基霍在社交平台X上发文表示该州将执行法院命令，但他同时对11月大选与初选采用不同国会地图表达了失望，强调选民应当享有规则的一致性与确定性。提起诉讼的“人民而非政客”组织执行主任理查德·冯·格拉恩则表示公众反对政客绕过宪法程序强推地图；众议员克利弗对此裁决表示感到非常高兴，并称该争端在11月大选前得以尘埃落定令人感到解脱。

The high court's decision drew immediate reactions from state political leaders and litigants. Republican Governor Mike Kehoe stated on X that Missouri would comply with the ruling, though he expressed disappointment that the state will conduct its November general election under a different map than its primary, arguing voters deserved consistency. Richard von Glahn, executive director of the challenger group People Not Politicians Missouri, welcomed the ruling and criticized attempts to impose maps outside state constitutional processes, while Representative Cleaver described himself as very happy and relieved that the issue was resolved ahead of November.