State of Missouri v. Justina Griffin

Defendant Justina Griffin was ordered on Sept. 27, 2012, to write a letter of apology to the Prosecutor’s staff and clerk’s staff for comments Griffin posted on her Facebook site. The letters were to be delivered on or before Nov. 1, 2012. Griffin is represented by Grant Doty, attorney with the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, who argued that the Court lacked jurisdiction to order the defendant to write and deliver letters of apology and that the Court’s order violated the First Amendment.

Doty requested that the Court vacate the portion of its order directing Griffin to write and deliver the letters of apology.

The defendant’s motion to vacate was granted by Judge Philip Prewitt on Oct. 25, 2012.