Missouri Independent: Lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Missouri attorney general’s new powers

A bill signed Thursday by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe generated a lawsuit Friday challenging its constitutionality even as Attorney General Andrew Bailey wasted no time using new powers granted in the law.

The bill changes the deadlines and procedure for challenging the ballot language of measures placed before voters by the General Assembly or by initiative petition. It also allows the ballot summaries to be longer. 

But a major focus of legislative debate was the provision of the bill giving the attorney general the power to appeal preliminary injunctions granted in cases where the state or a statewide official is blocked from enforcing a law or statute.

The bill signed Thursday will give far too much power to the secretary of state, Benjamin Singer, co-founder of the Respect Missouri Voters Coalition and CEO of Show Me Integrity, said in a news release.

“Missouri’s citizen initiative process is now dead for anything that the Secretary of State doesn’t like and wants to kill with biased language,” Singer said.

You can read the full article on the Missouri Independent here.