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SCOTUS rejects Missouri lawsuit alleging feds bullied social media into censoring content
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected arguments by Missouri and Louisiana that the federal government violated the First Amendment in its efforts to combat false, misleading and dangerous information online. In a 6-3 decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court held that neither the states nor seven individuals who were co-plaintiffs in […]
Missouri GOP and Democrat AG rivals agree on one thing: state government is ‘viciously corrupt’
Republican Will Scharf and Democrat Elad Gross disagreed on almost every issue Monday night during a forum of attorney general candidates in St. Louis. They aren’t on the same page on dealing with violent crime or protecting speech on campus. They crossed swords over abortion rights and access to contraception. And they couldn’t agree on […]
Will Scharf gets another $2M for Missouri AG campaign from group tied to Leonard Leo
Will Scharf’s hopes of winning the GOP nomination for Missouri attorney general got a massive financial boost on Tuesday, when a group connected to influential conservative activist Leonard Leo donated $2 million to the effort. Tuesday’s check came from the Concord Fund, an organization bankrolled by groups connected to Leo — a prolific fundraiser credited […]
PACs connected to Missouri lobbyist take in $530K from pair of companies
A constellation of political action committees tied to a Jefferson City lobbyist raked in $530,000 in contributions this month from a pair of companies. The six PACs — MO Majority PAC, Missouri Growth PAC, Missouri C PAC, Missouri Senior PAC, Missouri AG PAC and Conservative Leaders of Missouri — are connected to Steve Tilley, a […]
Missouri Ethics Commission finally has a quorum — but still can’t meet or take action
Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday appointed a fourth person to serve on the six-member Missouri Ethics Commission, providing the board with a quorum for the first time since March. But because one member has been unable to attend meetings since last fall, the commission is still one person short of being able to hold a […]
Candidates for Missouri governor split on offering incentives to keep Chiefs from moving
The leading candidates to be Missouri’s next governor disagree on whether the state should offer incentives to keep the Kansas City Chiefs from relocating to Kansas. On Tuesday, the top Republican lawmakers in Kansas announced that they had reached out to the Chiefs organization to urge the team to consider moving across the state line. […]
Already outlawed in Missouri, noncitizen voting ban will appear on statewide ballot
Missouri’s Constitution has banned noncitizens from voting since 1924. And state law requires individuals to verify they are a U.S. citizen in order to register to vote. But GOP lawmakers contend the constitutional and statutory language isn’t strong enough. Instead of saying that “all citizens” can vote, Republicans argue the state constitution should be changed […]
PAC backing term-limited Missouri governor keeps raising, spending campaign cash
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has given no indication his name will ever appear on a ballot again after he leaves office at the end of this year. But the political action committee set up by his supporters to bankroll his political career continues raising and spending money. During the first three months of 2024, the […]
Parson orders state agency not to pay legal expenses for legislators facing defamation suit
Missouri taxpayers will not cover the costs of damages that may result from defamation lawsuits filed against three state senators who incorrectly identified a Kansas man as the shooter at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, Gov. Mike Parson said Monday. In a letter to the commissioner of the Office of Administration, the state agency that […]
Winners and losers of Missouri’s 2024 legislative session
The final day of the 2024 legislative session lasted less than 10 minutes in the Missouri Senate. The lightning-quick adjournment was aimed at avoiding bitter flare ups that plagued the previous day, when a member of the Freedom Caucus tried to amend the Senate Journal to say a “stampeding herd of rhinoceroses” had rumbled through […]
‘A bizarre session’: Missouri lawmakers head home after year defined by gridlock, infighting
The least productive — and most chaotic — legislative session in living memory came to a close Friday, when the Missouri Senate, mired in factional infighting, threw in the towel eight hours early and the House scrambled to get whatever bills it could salvage across the finish line before the 6 p.m. deadline for adjournment. […]
Republican Missouri attorney general candidates proclaim 2020 election was stolen
The two Republican candidates running for Missouri attorney general agreed this week that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, parroting claims spread by Donald Trump and his allies that have been widely debunked. Appearing at a candidate forum in Springfield on Tuesday, Attorney General Andrew Bailey and former federal prosecutor Will Scharf laid out their […]