MO Supremes Tell AG To Get Out Of The Way; Let Abortion Petition Get Underway

[jaF0]

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Republican attorney general to stand down and allow an initiative petition to legalize abortion in the state to move forward.

Supreme Court judges unanimously affirmed a lower court's decision that Attorney General Andrew Bailey must approve the cost estimate provided by the auditor, despite Bailey's insistence that the cost to taxpayers of restoring abortion rights could be as much as a million times higher than what the auditor found.

Because Bailey refused to approve Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's cost estimate, the secretary of state has not been able to give the amendment his stamp of approval that is needed for supporters to begin gathering voter signatures to put it on the ballot in 2024.

In Thursday's Supreme Court order, judges found that Bailey's stonewalling meant plaintiff Anna Fitz-James, who was represented by the ACLU of Missouri, lost out on nearly 100 days she could have been collecting signatures.


https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory...t-orders-gop-attorney-general-stand-101533378


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[RobDownSouth]

Missouri Supreme Court rules Abortion Amendment to be re-instated on election ballot.

What a wild ride! Missouri Republicans fought this amendment every step of the way and were three HOURS away from a state-mandated deadline (5pm Central Standard Time) today to finalize the election ballot for November.

The Supreme Court overturned a circuit court's judgement that the ballot did not meet petition standards that Republicans have been using all over America.

Republicans don't actually give a shit about abortion, they just know that the three times abortion has been on the ballot in the past, women turn out in droves and vote OUT incumbent Republicans. This was a self-preservation exercise for them.

Missouri will be the 10th state to put abortion access on the ballot this year. It will be interesting to see how many pass.

Looks like the days of "hurr durr you don't like it? MOVE!" are numbered.

NY Times Link (Paywall removed)

 

[PaxNurgle]

Most of the extreme anti-abortionists (i.e. those who believe that the government should force a 12 year old rape victim to carry her rapist's baby to term even if it kills her) are well aware of how deeply unpopular their views really are with the general public. Even those who favor some limits to abortion access- and this is probably a slight majority- don't agree with the hard stance of the extreme abortion bans now being enacted across the country. So, kudos to the Missouri Supreme Court.