Missouri Supreme Court orders the GOP attorney general to stand down in fight over abortion costs

Source: Associated Press

Missouri Supreme Court orders the GOP attorney general to stand down in fight over abortion costs

BY SUMMER BALLENTINE
Published 3:48 PM EDT, July 20, 2023

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — 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.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-attorney-general-voters-initiative-petition-56ef2731480c786c87d1a8e9be191e2b