Missouri Supreme Court

Plaintiffs had argued the prohibition violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Missouri Constitution. The state's highest court unanimously ruled that restricting gender-affirming care does not violate the rights of transgender children.

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.

Tuesday's election saw 85% of voters supporting the recall of Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr., which will set off a rush by county legislators to appoint his replacement. But White is asking the Missouri Supreme Court to stop the vote certification.

The case before the Missouri Supreme Court comes after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law in Tennessee that bars transgender minors from getting gender-affirming care.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is appealing an order from a Jackson County judge that currently prevents the state from enforcing numerous abortion regulations. But the state supreme court unanimously refused to take up his request.

The court ruled 6 to 1 that counties cannot levy a 3% tax on marijuana dispensaries in cities and towns — only in unincorporated areas.

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.

The case centers on a student in the Blue Springs School District. A 5-2 ruling from the state's highest court recently found that the Missouri Human Rights Act “does not cover claims based on gender identity," but it used a definition of "sex" that's more than two decades old.

Missouri is one of two states where a judge can hand down death when juries cannot agree unanimously on a sentence. Since the law changed in 1984, at least 18 people have been sentenced to death by a judge, and four have been executed.

Ruling in favor of the Blue Springs School District, Missouri's highest court said the former student failed to prove the district discriminated against him for denying him access to male locker rooms and bathrooms.

With no clear indication of when — or if — access to abortion will be restored in Missouri, and a GOP-crafted amendment banning the procedure heading for the ballot next year, advocates on both sides are navigating the uncertainty and gearing up for the fight ahead.