WASHINGTON — Missouri’s congressional redistricting dispute has reached the U.S. Supreme Court for the third time in several weeks, after a federal appeals court revived a Republican-backed map that could add another GOP seat to the state’s delegation. The latest emergency appeal was filed after a panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Missouri to use the new map in the November general election. The order came despite a unanimous decision by the Missouri Supreme Court directing election officials to proceed under the existing boundaries, which currently produce a 7-2 Republican advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation. The challengers are asking Kavanaugh to halt the 8th Circuit’s decision. Kavanaugh, who is handling the request, ordered Missouri officials and Republican candidates seeking to preserve the new districts to respond by 2 p.m. Wednesday. The new map was used in Missouri’s primary elections last month. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the boundaries had not legally taken effect because a successful petition drive required voters to approve the plan in a referendum before it could become operative. The dispute has moved rapidly through the courts. On Sept. 8, Kavanaugh rejected an emergency request from state officials seeking to overturn the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling. Within minutes, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark, a Trump appointee, issued a restraining order sought by two Republican candidates who opposed using the older map in the general election. The full Supreme Court later put Clark’s order on hold. The justices did not identify any dissent or explain the decision, leaving the legal status of the competing maps unsettled. The 8th Circuit subsequently interpreted that action as allowing the lower-court fight to continue. On Monday, the appeals court directed Clark to issue a permanent injunction requiring the new map. The panel delayed enforcement for a week so opponents could return to the Supreme Court. Clark then issued the injunction, setting up the latest emergency request. The outcome could affect which voters are grouped together and how competitive Missouri’s congressional races will be in November. It also leaves election administrators and candidates working under an unusually compressed timeline as the courts decide which boundaries will govern the general election.