Missouri Supreme Court Rules Against Attorney General in Abortion Petition Case

Summary:

• The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled against Attorney General Andrew Bailey in his attempt to change the price tag for an abortion question on the ballot.
• The court ordered Bailey to approve the version provided by the state auditor within 24 hours.
• The legal battle has caused substantial delays in the petition process, spanning over 100 days.
• Abortion rights advocates must gather around 170,000 signatures from Missouri voters before May 6th for the question to be included on the November ballot.
• The court's decision sets a precedent for handling ballot questions and may impact future initiatives.

The Missouri Supreme Court has issued a significant decision against Attorney General Andrew Bailey's attempt to influence how an abortion question is presented to voters. The court has ordered him to sign off on 11 petitions seeking to put an abortion question on the statewide ballot next year within 24 hours.

The central issue in this case was whether the Attorney General had the authority to change the quote price tag for a ballot question, which informs voters about the financial impact of the proposed measure. Attorney General Bailey had sought to indicate that the abortion question would cost the state $12.5 billion, but the court has now deemed that it is not within his purview to make such changes. Instead, the court has instructed him to approve the version provided by the state auditor within the specified time frame. This legal battle has caused significant delays in the petition process, lasting over 100 days. As a result, both proponents and opponents of the abortion question have been eagerly awaiting this crucial decision from the Missouri Supreme Court. Abortion rights advocates now face the imminent deadline of May 6th to gather approximately 170,000 signatures from Missouri voters in support of the question. Only by meeting this requirement can the question be included on the November ballot and put before the voting public.

The court's ruling sets a precedent for the handling of ballot questions and highlights the importance of adherence to the established legal processes. With the clock ticking for abortion rights advocates to collect signatures, the state's political landscape is undoubtedly tense. As the deadline approaches, both sides of the abortion debate are gearing up for intense campaigning and outreach efforts to sway public opinion. This decision will undoubtedly reverberate in Missouri's political arena and may have implications for future ballot initiatives.