courts

Missouri's highest court ruled 4-3 that lawmakers were allowed to undergo mid-decade redistricting. But that does not necessarily mean the map passed last year will be in place for the 2026 election, as opponents continue to pursue a referendum.

A mural depicting hamburger-like UFOs at the Cozy Inn in Salina, Kansas, is at the center of a dispute that could end up going before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue: Is it a work of art protected by the First Amendment? Or is it an advertisement subject to the city’s sign code?

U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough says his family was targeted after he ruled against the Trump administration in its attempt to deport five Missouri college students. Threats against federal judges have spiked since President Donald Trump took office.

Missouri is one of two states where, if a jury is deadlocked on whether to sentence someone to death, the judge can issue the death penalty. The bill also establishes an automatic record-clearing process for most nonviolent offenses.

A Republican judge in Cole County on Thursday ruled that the ballot summary must be rewritten for a proposed constitutional amendment that he said would confuse voters, making it much harder for Missourians to amend the constitution through citizen initiative petitions.

The settlement, which would resolve legal claims that the agribusiness giant's weedkiller caused a type of cancer, still needs the approval of a Missouri judge.

Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics can currently perform procedural abortions but state laws limit the scope of care, and medication abortion is blocked. A trial in Jackson County could clarify which state-imposed standards abortion providers must meet.

Although a pregnant woman can file for divorce in Missouri, under current law a judge can prevent it from being finalized. A Republican lawmaker says she was denied a divorce while she was married to her abusive ex-husband.

Kansas Legislature's leaders and elected state officers challenge Gov. Laura Kelly's perspective. The governor claims constitutional authority to "stand up for Kansans." The Kansas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 16.

The Missouri Supreme Court's unanimous decision cited a lack of decorum by the St. Charles county judge in his choice to dress like Elvis Presley and play Presley's music through his phone in court.

In St. Charles, Elvis has left the courtroom. Judge Matthew Thornhill resigned after the state's disciplinary commission released viral photographs of him wearing an Elvis outfit, but he also is accused of mentioning his political affiliation and campaigning from the bench.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s office argued that the anti-redistricting referendum attempt violates the state and U.S. constitutions by infringing on the legislature's sole authority to draw maps. The federal case is one of multiple legal battles over state lawmakers' mid-decade redistricting effort.