Tag Archives: State: Missouri

WorldNetDaily: “‘Christian groups shouldn’t be prohibited from expressing their beliefs at public locations,’ said attorney Rick Nelson, who is allied with the Alliance Defense Fund.”

CitizenLink: “Christian groups shouldn’t be prohibited from expressing their beliefs at public locations,” ADF-allied attorney Rick Nelson of the American Liberties Institute said. “We are pleased with the court’s decision to lift an unconstitutional ban on expression in these areas throughout the city, allowing members of Apple of His Eye to peacefully exercise their First Amendment right to free speech.”

Kansas City Star: “Missouri charter school students, on average, do better in reading and math than students in their peer traditional public schools, according to a national study released today. The report done by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University . . . ”

Associated Press: “The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund says an order was issued last week that will allow the Apple of His Eye organization to share their religious views and pass out leaflets at the gay pride event in St. Louis.”

A federal judge issued an order Thursday permanently prohibiting the city of St. Louis from banning a Christian ministry from distributing literature and speaking about their religious viewpoint at an annual “PrideFest” event celebrating homosexual behavior.

FIRE: The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is pleased to announce the release of a new video on DVD and online called “Threats, Coercion, and Bullying at Missouri State.” The short documentary covers FIRE’s case at Missouri State University (MSU), where social work student Emily Brooker was threatened with expulsion after she refused (as a matter of personal belief) to send a signed letter to the Missouri state legislature in favor of homosexual foster parenting and adoption.

Jason Noble reports at the Kansas City Star’s political blog: “Legislation approved early Thursday morning in the Missouri Senate would require women seeking abortions to hear health warnings and descriptions of the unborn child before undergoing the procedure.”

St. Louis-Dispatch: “Police hope $16,000 in rewards will lead to arrest in the fatal beating and shooting of a Lemay man outside a strip club here.”

The Joplin Globe: “Jasper County is looking at a license application for a business adjacent to an adult-video store, but it has not issued approval for the operation, officials said Thursday.”

Boston Globe (AP): “State attorneys general from Missouri, Illinois and Connecticut plan to begin negotiations with Craigslist to eliminate what they contend are advertisements for illegal sexual activities.”

Donna Walters writes at the Missouri Lawyers Media posted on the ACLJ site: “A St. Charles pharmacist says Target fired her four years ago because she said she would not fill prescriptions for emergency contraception or refer customers to another pharmacist. Heather Williams filed a lawsuit in the St. Louis-based U.S. District Court last week against the corporation.”

LifeNews: “The Missouri state House has approved a conscience amendment that would allow pharmacies to opt out of dispensing the morning after pill.”

David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, appeared on the Michael Medved radio show to discuss the several cases including the case of a counseling student dismissed for refusing to endorse homosexual behavior, the Julia Ward case. French indicates this case is indicative of a trend among the so-called helping professions: counseling, teaching, social workers etc. . .

The mp3 runs just under 35 minutes.

Related ADF press release: E. Mich. Univ. ousts student for not affirming homosexual behavior

ADF attorney Jeff Shafer appeared on KFUO AM with Paul Clayton to discuss pending “choose life” license plate litigation. The mp3 runs just over 10 minutes.
Links to ADF press releases on “Choose Life” litigation.

Religion Clause Blog: “In City of Jordan v. Church of St. John the Baptist of Jordan, (MN Ct. App., April 14, 2009), a Minnesota Court of Appeals interpreted a Minnesota statute that protects churches from certain takings by eminent domain.”

St. Louis Today: “Last week, Kleinhans’ attorney, Robert Kister, filed suit in circuit court in Hillsboro. The suit asks the court to order the city to stop issuing tickets and to allow the store to remain open seven days a week. ”

. . . the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals . . . said there was a distinction between on-site and off-site businesses . . . Unfortunately for Erotic City, federal district courts in Missouri must follow the law of the 8th Circuit . . .

ConnectMissouri.com: “Columbia city council members unanimously voted on Monday night to establish a domestic partner registry. The registry allows qualifying same sex couples to register with the city of Columbia to get benefits and discounts at certain locations.”

OneNewsNow: “Missouri is the second state in two weeks to gain approval. Joel Oster is an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund. “We represent Choose Life of Missouri, and they wanted to have a specialty license plate but they were denied their request because two pro-abort senators rejected their application because they disagreed with the pro-life viewpoint,” he says.”

Religion Clause: “In a release on the decision from Alliance Defense Fund (which represented plaintiffs) indicates that Missouri has already begun to sell the plates since the Court of Appeals had refused to stay the injunction previously issued by the district court. The Kansas City Star also reports on the decision.”

St. Louis Today (AP): “Missouri officials began issuing the plates last month and about 170 are on the roads now, said a Department of Revenue spokesman. Said Joel Oster, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal organization that had sued when the plates were first rejected: “The court recognized that the license plate constituted private speech and that the pro-life message can’t be censored just because a couple of pro-choice senators disagree with that message.”

AP: “The Alliance Defense Fund sued in June 2006 on behalf of Choose Life of Missouri and the group’s president. The suit alleged lawmakers violated free speech, due process and equal protection rights by rejecting Choose Life’s application for the specialty plate, while approving other proposals.”

ADF attorneys win victory in decision that upholds ruling against state’s unconstitutional license plate approval process

The Joplin Globe: “Local opponents of sexually oriented businesses said Wednesday that an appellate-court decision upholding county regulation of such operations should remove any obstacles for new rules by Jasper County and the state . . . ”

In Enlightened Reading, Inc., et. al. v. Jackson County, No. 08-0209-CV-W-FJG (W.D. Mo., March 24, 2009), the Chief Judge of the Western District of Missouri granted Jackson County’s motion for judgment on the pleadings on all issues in a challenge to the County’s comprehensive SOB ordinance.

KSPR.com (AP): “Legislation making it a crime to coerce someone to have an abortion in Missouri ties up the state Senate for hours . . . The bill would require a woman seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours before the procedure.”

KansasCity.com (AP): “A western Missouri trial judge and attorneys from Lee’s Summit and Columbia are nominated to fill one of three vacancies on the state’s Kansas City-based appeals court. The finalists for the first vacancy are Judge Jacqueline A. Cook, of Belton; Mark D. Pfeiffer, of Columbia; and Cynthia L. Reams Martin, of Lee’s Summit.”

Americans U. for Life Blog: “. . . the Missouri House passed HCS HB 46 & 434, a bill that bans coercing a pregnant woman into getting an abortion. Additionally, the bill enhances the state’s informed consent law by allowing women to view and hear an ultrasound prior to getting an abortion, and gives women information about the pain their unborn child feels during an abortion . . . ”

St. Louis Today:  A proposed bill promising major changes in the U.S. abortion landscape has Roman Catholic bishops threatening to close Catholic hospitals if the Democratic Congress and White House make it law. The Freedom of Choice Act failed to …

CNSNews:  Lawmakers in two states, outraged by California’s “Octomom,” are seeking to limit the number of embryos that may be implanted by fertility clinics.   The legislation in Missouri and Georgia is intended to spare taxpayers from footing the bill …

LifeNews: “The Missouri state House began a debate on Tuesday on a bill that would ban forced or coerced abortions in the state. House Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, a Republican, is behind the bill and he notes that a …

. . . New Hampshire’s state motto is ‘Live Free or Die.’ But is New Hampshire the most free place to live in the United States? Apparently it is, according to a new study, Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom . . .

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives is the first legislative body to pass a state sovereignty resolution this year under the terms of the Tenth Amendment.

For Faith and Family:  That was repeated again and again by legislators and speakers at a Jan. 6 State Capitol conference designed to teach ordinary citizens how to influence their state legislators. Upwards of 100 people were in attendance from …

Kansas City Star: “A state representative is concerned that her sexual orientation may have led to the rejection of her appointment to a House committee on children and families . . . “

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In Executive Board of the Missouri Baptist Convention v. Windermere Baptist Conference Center, (MO App., Feb. 3, 2009), a Missouri appellate court rejected attempts by the Missouri Baptist Convention to regain control of the valuable …

B.W.A., a minor and student at Farmington High School (“Farmington High”), along with fellow students R.S. and S.B., brought this First Amendment action against Farmington R-7 School District (“the District”) and its school officials after they were sent home for refusing to remove items of clothing depicting the Confederate flag symbol. After extensive discovery, the district court1 granted the District’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that Farmington High school officials had reason to believe that students displaying the Confederate flag would cause a substantial and material disruption. We affirm.

LifeSiteNews carries this commentary by Bishop Robert J. Hermann of St. Louis. It includes these excerpts: . . . Yes, we can thank one-half of our Catholics for bailing out on their faith!  After almost 50 years of having 50 …

AP: “Sen. George Voinovich said Monday he won’t seek re-election in 2010 . . . In recent weeks, Republican Sens. Kit Bond of Missouri, Mel Martinez of Florida and Sam Brownback of Kansas have all announced plans to retire in …

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: . . . A voter registration recruiter working for the group ACORN has been indicted on two felony counts of voter registration fraud . . . [Deidra] Humphrey is accused of submitting forged and false …

The AP reports: Three sexually oriented businesses in Cherokee County have until late April to comply with new licensing requirements. But none so far has applied and don’t seem to be in a hurry to do so.

The Bridge employs an unconventional approach to youth missionary work, its officials say. The multimillion-dollar building . . . boasts climbing walls, a basketball court, a skate park, an arcade, a concert venue and a cafe . . . The county argues the property is taxable . . .

A southwest Missouri lawmaker intends to seek a law next year creating a host of new rules for adult sex stores and strip clubs, including a ban on lap dances.

BND.com reports: “A Missouri man is on life support, pending organ donation, after he was struck in the head with a blunt object outside a strip club early Saturday. The 35-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was attacked about …

The ACLU has issued this press release:  The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed a lawsuit challenging the latest attempt by a political operative to rewrite Missouri’s state Constitution and ban equal opportunity programs in …

A federal appeals court is considering a Missouri dispute in which the American Civil Liberties Union challenged a school district policy that treated the Bible the same as other books and demanded the authority to veto what would be handed out to students.

Both sides in the legal dispute between the Missouri Baptist Convention and a breakaway agency faced tough questions at a recent hearing before an appellate panel.

LifeSiteNews.com reports: “When protesters took to the streets in a nationwide rally against California’s true marriage amendment, Proposition 8, students from Saint Louis University (SLU), a Jesuit-run school, joined about 1,400 others gathered on the steps of the St. Louis …

Casino Watch Focus reports:”CNN is reporting Pinnacle Entertainment is looking to move their President Casino to a new spot on the Mississippi river, and they will likely see little resistance from the MGC.  The President has been in financial trouble …

HSLDA reports: . . . In March, Shari Egarta told the elementary school teachers for her four children that she would be homeschooling them the following year. In May, she followed up with a letter to the principal. On the …

Examiner.com: “Jerry Morgan is offering a class called ‘Constitutional Law for High School Students.’  He is an allied attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund.  He and his wife are parents to three homeschooled children and members of SHARE (St. Louis …

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4733 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY November 3, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS:  (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF attorney available to media after hearing on abortion clinic standards ADF attorneys defending state law that requires Planned …

The expansion of merit selection is being pushed hard by the Brennan Center, Justice at Stake and other legal groups funded by wealthy liberals like George Soros . . . It’s no mystery that merit selection is the left’s method of choice . . .

The AP reports: “A federal appeals court in St. Louis is hearing arguments in a lawsuit over Missouri’s ‘Choose Life’ license plates.” As the article mentions, this is an ADF suit.

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4712 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY October 15, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF attorney available to media after hearing on Mo. ‘Choose Life’ plates Two state senators set roadblock to keep …

LifeNews.com reports: “Student vandals at Missouri State University wrecked a pro-life cross memorial on the school’s Blair-Shannon Lawn on Wednesday, October 1. Some students cheered from a nearby sidewalk as others deliberately stepped on the crosses and one student rode …

Bill McClellan reports in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: If you don’t think that tempers are getting short as the election approaches, consider that Hugh McVey did something last Sunday that he would have once considered unthinkable. The former seminarian stood …

The Get Religion Blog has this post on the rising number of church-state conflicts involving the Amish and their increasing population.

The St. Louis Dispatch reports: In the quiet stacks of the St. Louis County libraries, two sides of a classic culture war are duking it out. A local group wants the libraries to make it more difficult for teens to …

A citizens anti-pornography group wants certain books in the St. Louis County Library’s teen section segregated from younger eyes and placed in the adult section….

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued this press release that begins: A Missouri public school must end its policy of allowing an evangelical Christian group to distribute Bibles to fifth-graders on school property during school hours, …

The initiative, which began in earnest last month, is the first formal effort under a broader plan Blunt signed into law last year to forge a close working relationship between the government and religious groups.

(Warning: ads promote homosexual conduct) The Advocate reports: Mike Colona, a gay lawyer from St. Louis, won his Democratic primary Tuesday for a Missouri house seat despite controversy over his ties to the gay porn industry, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch …

Horina v. City of Granite City, No. 07-1239, 07-2623

The Columbia Tribune reports: Staff members at two Columbia strip clubs were issued summonses last week for alleged liquor law violations by allowing patrons to drink alcohol in the businesses. Plainclothes Columbia police and state liquor control officers issued the …

Matthew Epinnette reports on the Americans United for Life Blog: Americans United for Life (AUL) has filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of nine Missouri not-for-profit pregnancy resource centers in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth …

Operationa Rescue has issued this press release on the Christian Newswire. It begins: “Operation Rescue’s Truth Truck, driven by Mark Gietzen, caused a stir the St. Louis Planned Parenthood abortion mill on Saturday, July 19, 2008, when he drove onto …

The Christian Newswire carries the press release by the Foundation for Moral Law and a link to the brief. It begins: Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and attorneys with the Foundation for Moral Law argued in an amicus curiae …

Furthermore, any number of tax schemes supporting religious schools are likely impermissible in Missouri because a tax credit is equivalent to a grant of public funds, tax benefits help “sustain or support” religious schools, and even indirect aid to parochial schools is impermissible

Liberty Counsel has issued this press release indicating: “Liberty Counsel filed its Initial Brief with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in defense of an equal access policy of the South Iron School District (“District”) that permits the Gideons to …

A federal judge issued an order Tuesday that will permit a Christian ministry to hand out literature and speak about their religious viewpoint at an annual “PrideFest” event celebrating homosexual behavior.

Don Hinkle reports on For Faith and Family: Like in 2005, the General Assembly failed to act on important pro-life legislation that would have further curtailed Missouri abortions. The House passed a bill that would make it illegal to try …

The Religion Clause Blog reports: In Cape Girardeau, Missouri yesterday, the ACLU filed suit on behalf of library-assistant Deborah Smith who was suspended for ten days without pay after she refused to work at an event that she said violated …

Sarah Steelman, a Republican candidate for governor, is calling on the Missouri state legislature to hold a special session on a bill that would prohibit forced abortions in the state. The legislature ended its session and did not complete its work on the coercive abortion issue.

A Missouri judge ruled Friday that a state law that enforces health and safety standards for surgical abortion clinics also regulates clinics that dispense the abortion-inducing drug RU-486.