ACLU Calls ‘Shenanigans’ on Missouri AG’s Refusal to Follow Court Order on Abortion Petition
In Misery, zealot theater is more important than governance, e.g. don’t try to drive on their roads.
Complying with an order to certify the fiscal summary on 11 abortion petitions would be an “affirmative irreversible action” that he is entitled to refuse until an appeal is heard, Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued in a court filing Wednesday.
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ordered Bailey on Tuesday to issue the certification to State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick “within 24 hours.” That time limit passed at 9 a.m. Wednesday with no action except Bailey filing an appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court.
The ACLU of Missouri, representing Anna Fitz-James, a St. Louis doctor who submitted the petitions, then filed a motion asking Beetem to order Bailey to comply. The ACLU motion argued that the attorney general’s office is not among parties entitled to an automatic stay when a judgment is appealed.
More: ACLU calls ‘shenanigans’ on Missouri AG’s refusal to follow court order on abortion petition