JURIST - Missouri

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Friday upheld a Missouri law that bans protests within 300 feet of funerals but struck down a second broader law that would have increased the distance at which protesters to could congregate. The challenge to the laws came from members of the Westbo....... [more]

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on Friday signed the strict anti-abortion legislation into law. The legislation prohibits abortions based on the baby's sex, prevents abortion providers from receiving certain tax breaks and proclaims that life begins at fertilization. The provision dealing with tax bre....... [more]

The US Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in Missouri v. McNeely that the Fourth Amendment may require a warrant for a blood test in a drunk-driving investigation. The divided court ultimately held that "in drunk-driving investigations, the natural dissipation of alcohol in the bloodstream does not const....... [more]

The US District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Thursday ruled that a law requiring a couple applying for a marriage license to sign it in the presence of the recorder of deeds is unconstitutional. The law was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of five fi....... [more]

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Missouri health insurance law that required insurers to issue policies without contraception coverage if individuals or employers objected for religious or moral reasons. Judge Audrey Fleissig for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ru....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Sandy Davidson of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the University of Missouri School of Law evaluates the Third Circuit's decision to bar members of the press from reporting inside polling places...Welcome to Humpty Dumpty Land! "'When I use a word,' Humpty....... [more]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri on Friday ended their challenge to a 2011 Kansas law that restricts private health insurance companies from offering coverage for abortions in their general plans. The withdrawal follows a ruling by the US District Cou....... [more]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Missouri v. McNeely on whether the Fourth Amendment allows a police officer to take a warrantless blood sample to test for alcohol levels. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the exigency standard set in Schmerber v. California for warrantless....... [more]

A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Friday blocked a Missouri law which prohibits mandatory insurance coverage of birth control for any employers with ethical or religious objections, finding that the state law conflicts with the Patient Protection and Affordabl....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Brendan Block, Saint Louis University School of Law Class of 2013, argues for exigency to apply to driving while intoxicated (DWI) suspects to allow for warrantless blood tests...After working in a southwest Missouri prosecutor's office last summer, I learned one of the harsh....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Christopher Bader, Saint Louis University School of Law Class of 2013, analyzes the US Supreme Court's decision to grant certiorari in Missouri v. McNeeley and decide the scope of when a warrantless blood draw may be admissible evidence...Just in time for Halloween, the Suprem....... [more]