Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh sided with anti-abortion lawmakers and activists in his ruling, arguing Amendment 3 did not adequately inform voters who signed petitions about the amendment’s ramifications
He found the measure was “insufficient” and a “blatant violation” of the statutory requirements because it failed to list the laws that would be repealed if the amendment was passed.
But he declined to immediately issue an injunction to allow time for proponents to appeal ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
-
Attorneys for the group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom filed an appeal, and the case bypassed the court of appeals to head directly to the state Supreme Court.
-
Arguments will be heard Tuesday, which is also the deadline for ballots to be printed to mail to absentee voters. This means a decision will need to be made the same day arguments are made.
Amendment 3, if allowed on the ballot and passed, would revise the Missouri state constitution to guarantee a right to an abortion up to the point of viability.
Missouri was the first state to ban almost all abortions after the 2022 Dobbs ruling, and passage of the ballot measure would be the first time such a ban would be overturned.
“The court’s decision to block Amendment 3 from appearing on the ballot is a profound injustice to the initiative petition process and undermines the rights of the 380,000 Missourians who signed our petition demanding a voice on this critical issue,” Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said in a statement following the ruling.
