This report was updated with additional background information and reactions from lawmakers.
JEFFERSON CITY — An initiative petition meant to clean up ethics in Missouri government and overhaul redistricting in the state was struck from the November ballot by a Cole County Circuit judge Friday, in part, for being too broad.
Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green ruled that Amendment 1, known as Clean Missouri, dealt with “two different and extremely broad purposes,” which violates the Missouri Constitution.
Attorney Edward Greim, who represents opponents to the measure, celebrated Green’s ruling Friday.
“It reaffirms, I think, what everyone has been talking about since the day this was certified for circulation. The proponents of this measure knew this was a flawed measure. They had plenty of time to go back and simply separate this out into its constituent parts, and it speaks volumes they decided not to do that,” Greim said. “I think the law has finally caught with them.”
Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents the Clean Missouri campaign, said in a statement that the campaign will appeal the ruling immediately.
“We have always thought that this legal matter would be decided at the Appeals Court level,” Hatfield said. “This is a speed bump, but the law is on our side, the people are on our side, and Amendment 1 will be passed in November to clean up Missouri politics.”
Clean Missouri has a little over a week until the 5 p.m. Sept. 25 “drop-dead” date , a deadline for Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to make a final announcement to local election authorities as to which proposals must be placed on the ballot.
Hatfield tweeted Friday that the Court of Appeals has accepted his notice of appeal.
“We will file a brief this weekend and expect the matter to be heard next week,” Hatfield wrote.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office, which is responsible for approving the initiative petitions, is reviewing the ruling and determining next steps, said Mary Compton, spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office.
The petition would have amended the Missouri Constitution to:
- Drastically change the process and criteria for drawing state legislative districts.
- Tighten limits on campaign contributions state legislators can accept.
- Ban lobbyist gifts over $5.
- Require state legislators to wait two years after they have left the General Assembly to become paid lobbyists.
- Prohibit political fundraising from candidates or members of the General Assembly on state property.
- Require state legislators to be subject to Missouri’s open-records law.
In Green’s ruling, he said that the proposed changes to the Missouri Constitution…
