Defending The Rights To Equality, Liberty, and Justice For All

"This is a win for speech, democracy, and all current and future voters in Missouri. The vital work of organizations like the League and the NAACP is necessary to help Missourians navigate a system that is deeply rooted with systemic barriers that unnecessarily impede Missourians from exercising their fundamental right to vote."

“The court rightfully rejected the portion of House Bill 1878 which imposed criminal penalties for political speech, voter registration, and civic engagement efforts by organizations like the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Third-party voter registration activities blocked by the challenged legislation are critical, constitute core political speech, and are necessary to ensure that voters can get on the rolls and participate in elections. Legislation like HB 1878 was designed to block access for Missouri voters and halt the ability of civic engagement organizations to engage their fellow citizens."

“We respectfully disagree with the trial court’s ruling, which misapplied the law and overlooked overwhelming evidence that the state’s unprecedented mid-decade congressional map violates the Missouri Constitution’s compactness requirement."

In some instances, people are unconstitutionally held in a detention center while waiting to receive treatment for a longer period of time than the maximum sentence available for the crimes alleged. The court must intervene and order DMH to remedy this crisis.