Missouri Supreme Court rejects attorney general's bid to upend abortion vote [View all]

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-attorney-general-s-bid-to-upend-abortion-vote/article_76166214-272c-11ee-ad1b-c79add91fe4b.html

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Supreme Court handed Gov. Mike Parson’s hand-picked attorney general a high-profile loss Thursday, ruling that Republican Andrew Bailey improperly injected himself into a fight over abortion rights.

Acting quickly on an issue that has pitted Bailey against state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, the court in its 6-0 decision said the attorney general must comply with a lower court judge’s order to certify language associated with a proposed ballot initiative asking Missouri voters if they want to restore the right to abortion.

The court said Bailey has “no discretion” to inject his own opinion on the potential cost of the proposed constitutional change and must comply with Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem’s order to approve the cost estimate forwarded to him by Fitzpatrick.

They added that the plaintiff, Anna Fitz-James, who is being represented by the ACLU of Missouri, has already lost time in her bid to collected enough signatures to place the question on the 2024 statewide ballot.

“If the Attorney General had complied with his duty to approve the auditor’s fiscal note summaries in the time prescribed, the Secretary would have certified the official ballot titles for Fitz-James’s initiative petitions nearly 100 days ago,” the court said.

*snip*

Criminals. Every single one of them.