A federal appeals court panel heard arguments on Thursday about new congressional districts in Missouri.

Republicans drew these districts, and President Donald Trump supports them.

The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering the dispute.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked those districts from being used in the November election.

Missouri is currently set to run its November election with the same congressional districts it used in 2024 and 2022.

This follows earlier decisions by both the Missouri Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Local election officials said in a court filing that they are already printing ballots with those districts.

They face a Friday deadline under federal law to mail absentee ballots to overseas citizens and military voters.

The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities said changing districts this late would be "practically impossible."

It would also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An attorney for Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Onder and state Sen. Rick Brattin suggested there is still time to revert to the Trump-backed map.

Missouri Solicitor General Lou Capozzi urged the panel to rule that the U.S. Constitution forbids a referendum petition from suspending a congressional map passed by lawmakers.

Missouri's top court has ruled that state law requires exactly that.

The judges indicated they would rule quickly.

They also noted any decision is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge James Loken, an appointee of former President George H. W. Bush, said election officials would have to deal with the outcome.

The other two panelists, judges David Stras and Justin Smith, are both Trump appointees.

Missouri's redistricting fight has been the longest and most complex among roughly a dozen states.

Those states sought to change their U.S. House districts over the past year.