The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning in a high-profile case that essentially will decide whether you’ll be casting ballots this November on an abortion measure.
Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled Friday that the November abortion ballot measure didn’t comply with state initiative petition requirements. Abortion rights supporters have appealed, and the Missouri Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case at 8:30 this morning. “Missouri Times” publisher Scott Faughn tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the Supreme Court has three options today:
“It can affirm Judge Limbaugh’s ruling and that’s that. This thing’s off the ballot. It can overturn it (Judge Limbaugh’s decision). Or it can just wait and not issue a ruling by Tuesday, and then de facto, the abortion thing is off the ballot,” Mr. Faughn tells listeners.
Columbia attorney Jesus Osete, who is running for Boone County Circuit judge, says there is possibly a fourth option. Counselor Osete says Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has decertified Amendment Three from the ballot, based primarily on Judge Limbaugh’s ruling. Osete says the key question today is whether this action moots the appeal, in which the case is over and Amendment Three won’t appear on the ballot.
The “Missouri Independent’ reports Judge Limbaugh ruled that the coalition behind Amendment three failed to meet a sufficiency requirement “through a failure to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent.”
“Missouri Times” publisher Faughn praises Judge Limbaugh, telling “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the judge could have waited until today to rule and that he’s provided time for the appeal:
“Instead he intentionally not only made his ruling that this was poorly written, that he didn’t rule on the merits of the abortion stuff. He just said that this IP process isn’t done well in the state right now, and this one didn’t meet the statutory requirements. He let his decision out last week, giving a reviewing court time,” says Faughn.
The group known as “Missourians for Constitutional Freedom” is appealing Judge Limbaugh’s decision.
