Courts
Grain Belt Express clears another legal hurdle with Missouri appeals court ruling
Chariton County cannot block construction of the Grain Belt Express electric transmission line by refusing permission to cross county roads, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The county can establish rules for how the transmission line crosses its roads, the court ruled as it modified a trial court decision that said the […]
Ameren Missouri’s Rush Island coal plant to close following years-long litigation
One of Ameren Missouri’s largest coal plants will shut down Tuesday after more than 13 years of litigation over its failure to comply with federal clean air regulations. The St. Louis-based electric utility will retire the Rush Island Energy Center, a two-unit 1,178-megawatt coal plant on the banks of the Mississippi River in Jefferson County, […]
Settlement reached in Gateway Pundit defamation case, though details were not disclosed
A settlement has been reached between the Gateway Pundit and two Georgia poll workers who accused the St. Louis-based far-right website of defamation in a civil suit in St. Louis Circuit Court. Notice of the settlement was filed Monday afternoon. The parties to the dispute “provide notice to the court that the parties have reached […]
Missouri appeals court hears case over local governments stacking sales tax on marijuana
The court debate Tuesday over how Missouri marijuana products get taxed statewide sounded similar to a grammar class on conjunctions and comma placement. The constitutional amendment voters approved in 2022 legalizing recreational marijuana allowed local governments to impose additional sales tax on the products. The big question before the three-judge panel of the Missouri Court […]
U.S. Supreme Court considers Biden administration regulation of ‘ghost guns’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices Tuesday grappled with whether the Biden administration exceeded its authority when it set regulations for kits that can be assembled into untraceable firearms, and a majority of justices seemed somewhat skeptical the rule was an overreach. In Garland v. VanDerStok, the nine justices are tasked with determining whether a rule issued […]
Ruling on Missouri transgender health care restrictions expected by end of year
A ruling on Missouri’s restrictions on gender-affirming care is likely to come by the end of the year, with the trial complete and attorneys’ reports due within 30 days. After a 13-day trial ended last week, Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter waived closing statements and asked instead for plaintiffs and defendants to submit […]
Special counsel Jack Smith reveals new evidence against Trump in 2020 election case
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed a lengthy and partly redacted motion Wednesday that charts special counsel Jack Smith’s final argument before November that former President Donald Trump acted in a private capacity when he co-conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Much of the motion concerns Trump’s interactions with individuals in Arizona, Georgia, […]
Missouri Supreme Court rejects request for ethics investigation into AG Andrew Bailey
The Missouri Supreme Court declined to force an investigation into donations to Attorney General Andrew Bailey connected to a witness in a case his office was handling. In a filing Tuesday evening, the judges denied a request from Lucas Cierpiot — son of state Sen. Mike Cierpiot — to require the disciplinary arm of the court […]
Credibility of state’s expert witnesses questioned in Missouri transgender health care trial
Missouri’s defense of a state law barring minors from beginning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones will depend on whether the judge in the case puts stock in expert witnesses touting retracted studies and conspiracy theories about Jerry Sandusky. Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter, who is presiding over a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s gender-affirming care […]
Former caseworker testifies in defense of Missouri transgender health care ban
The former caseworker whose account of her time working at a pediatric gender clinic in St. Louis jumpstarted the legislative push to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors testified in defense of Missouri’s restriction on Monday. Jamie Reed, who for four and a half years worked as a case manager at the Washington University Transgender Center, […]
Missouri Sunshine Law appeal from Cass County digs into public notice requirements
A rural Missouri fire district near Kansas City committed so many violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law that listing them separately wasn’t the best way to present them, attorney Jim Layton told Western District Court of Appeals during oral arguments. Under questioning from Presiding Judge Thomas Chapman, Layton said he counted 46 violations committed in […]
Patients hurt by Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming care, providers testify
After three days of battling over scientific papers and expert testimony, the trial of a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s restrictions on gender-affirming treatments on Thursday turned to the impact the law has on patients and providers. Nicole Carr, a nurse practitioner at Southampton Community Healthcare in St. Louis, said anxiety, fear and depression first increased in […]