MISSOURI, USA — Missouri's Supreme Court will hear arguments for keeping an amendment to overturn the state's abortion ban on this November's ballot.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri will make oral arguments in front of the court on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., a union representative told 5 On Your Side.
“Hundreds of thousands of Missourians have exercised their power as citizens in its purest form and want their fellow citizens to vote on whether to change Missouri's Constitution with regard to abortion rights," an ACLU statement said. “This case is about whether the people’s right to engage in direct democracy will be protected, or if Section 116.050 must be read so broadly that the Court is duty-bound to adopt an interpretation of that procedural statute that would throw a certified amendment off the ballot. The trial court's decision threatens to grind our system of constitutional initiative petition to a halt at the last minute."
Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled on Friday that an abortion-rights campagin did not originally meet legal requirements for the amendment to qualify for the ballot. Limbaugh, however, stopped short of removing the measure from the ballot. Instead, he gave the abortion-rights campaign a chance to file a last-minute appeal before Tuesday's deadline to make changes to the Missouri ballot.
“That said, this court also recognizes the gravity of the unique issues involved in this case, and the lack of direct precedent on point,” Limbaugh wrote. “The court therefore will stay execution of issuing an injunction up until September 10, 2024, the statutory deadline for the case to be heard, so that further guidance or rulings can be provided by a reviewing court.”