Law

Will Missouri GOP's Gun Owner Privacy Efforts Make State Vulnerable to Terrorism, Fraud?

The debate around the privacy of gun owners has dominated the legislature this session, with Republican lawmakers' persistent outcry regarding record-keeping in the state. The worry is that the Missouri license bureau, under the direction of Democratic Governor Jay Nixon, could be collecting and st ... More >>

Supreme Court Rules 9-0 for Monsanto in Seed-Patent Case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously this morning that an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto's patents on genetically modified "Roundup Ready" soybean seeds. The case, Bowman v. Monsanto, hinged on whether the farmer, Vernon Bowman, ought to pay Monsanto for seeds that he purchased from a grain el ... More >>

The "Ladue List": Office of Civil Rights and Ladue High School Reach Agreement

Ah, springtime -- flowers are blooming, birds are singing...vicious, slut-shaming lists are being written? It's been about a year since the last "Senior List" was passed around the halls of Ladue Horton Watkins High School. Next to the name of seven graduating senior girls was an insult -- some for ... More >>

Saint Louis University: Administration Threatens Legal Action Over Professor's Survey

Here's one way to pretty much guarantee negative publicity, courtesy of Saint Louis University officials. SLU's legal counsel, in an apparent attempt to stop a faculty survey on the embattled university president Father Lawrence Biondi, has threatened legal action against the professor drafting th ... More >>

Catholic Bishops Slam Birth Control Ruling: "Pray for the Protection of Religious Liberty"

The Catholic bishops of Missouri are praying that the legal fight against federal health care mandates for birth control coverage is not over. "We now call upon all people of good will to pray for the protection of religious liberty and for defense of the First Amendment freedoms we all hold dear, ... More >>

O'Fallon Wants to Block Federal Gun Control With Bill to "Stop the Tyranny of...Government"

What's with all the Second Amendment bashing? That's the underlying question that O'Fallon City Councilman Jim Pepper says prompted him to propose a local bill that would block federal gun control measures. That's right, members of the City Council are pushing a municipal proposal to stop the enf ... More >>

St. Louis Archdiocese Fight Against Contraception: Mandate Lawsuit Dismissed

Last May, the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Catholic Charities went up against the United States government with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a health care contraception mandate -- and this week, a federal judge decided to dismiss the case. But the battle is not over. So say offic ... More >>

Pain Pills: The heated copyright debate over a St. Louisan's power-pop compilation

The New Cold War: On the frontlines of the costliest battle in the high-tech world

The Man Who Saved the Union: H.W. Brands Talks U.S. Grant

H.W. Brands' new book The Man Who Saved the Union is not the first book we've encountered about Ulysses S. Grant this year, but it's certainly the most voluminous. Brands, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, was in St. Louis yesterday to talk about the book at the Missouri History Muse ... More >>

The Ten Most Egregious Tax Loopholes in the U.S.

Mizzou J-School Leader's Testimony Could Hurt Apple in Huge Lawsuit Against Samsung

In what Wired magazine is calling "the patent case of the century," Apple is suing Samsung for "slavishly" copying Apple's tech and design as seen in -- among other things -- the iPad. Apple believes Samsung is trampling on its patent rights. The local-ish connection is this:   Earlier this wee ... More >>

Organic Farmers' Suit Against Monsanto Dismissed (and Dissed) by Federal Judge

​A federal district court judge in New York threw out a lawsuit yesterday brought by pro-organic groups against St. Louis- based Monsanto, scolding the plaintiffs for their "tactics." Some 60 seed companies, family farmers and other organic folks filed suit last March. Their stated goal was to ere ... More >>

In a tiny town just outside Joplin, a landmark adoption case tests the limits of inalienable human rights

Alderwoman April Ford Griffin Expected to Take Position in Mayor's Office

http://www.pubdef.orgAlderwoman April Ford Griffin will be the new executive director for the city's Civil Rights Enforcement Agency​Fifth ward Alderwoman April Ford Griffin has been offered by Mayor Francis Slay the job of heading the city's Civil Rights Enforcement Agency. While both sides ... More >>

Lawsuit Filed Against Missouri's "Religious Freedom" Amendment

Don't drink the Kool-Aid, warn plaintiffs.​In November 2012, Missouri voters will be asked to approve an amendment to the state constitution, titled Religious Freedom in Public Places. According to the sponsor of the resolution, Republican Mike McGhee of the western Missouri town of Odessa, the am ... More >>

St. Louis Mayor Wants Missouri to Allow Civil Unions

Slay in a No Hate promo.​Francis Slay used his blog yesterday to call on state legislators to pass a law allowing gay couples in Missouri to commit to civil unions. The St. Louis Mayor writes that Illinois' recently enacted law allowing civil unions has made him realize the need for such a law in ... More >>

Bill to Make Streaming Content a Felony: Here's How To Understand, Track and Get Involved

​Bill S. 978 would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison. Specifically, it would incriminate those who disseminate ("publicly perform" in the language of the bill) copyrighted material ten or more times in a 180 day span. The ... More >>

Lift Our Voices

Same-Sex Unions Now Law of the Land of Lincoln

​As expected, Illinois governor Pat Quinn yesterday signed off on a bill legalizing civil unions in that state.Two month ago, the measure passed in both houses."We believe in civil rights, and we believe in civil unions," Quinn said at a signing ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center. "We believe ... More >>

The Feds Bury Border Patrol Abuses of Immigrants, But What's Been Unearthed Reveals a Culture of Cruelty

Child Nutrition Bill Passes House of Reps, Headed to President

Despite being blocked by an unrelated amendment on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Child Nutrition Bill yesterday. The AP gives the details of the final bill, and explains that the added amendment, pertaining to background checks for child care workers, was passed in a separate bi ... More >>

Same-sex couples in St. Louis can get married in Iowa. They just can't ever get divorced.

Illinois Legalizes Same-Sex Civil Unions

​Today in Illinois, both houses of the state legislature approved a bill granting civil unions to same-sex couples. Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill into law, as he said he would support the unions while campaigning.The bill says that a civil union, expressly stated as between "two ... More >>

Grinding Justice: Operation Streamline costs millions, tramples the Constitution and doesn't work

Next Year, Jury Duty Will Take Even Longer

Image source​Jury duty, that beloved civic rite known to eat up as many as three days even if you're not selected to serve, is about to get even longer. Starting January 1, Missouri judges will have to allow lawyers extra time to look up the litigation history of potential jurors on Case.net, ... More >>

A to Z Gets a Cease-and-Desist Letter for...Linking to a Blog?

Timothy Norris/LA WeeklyLady Gaga in LA, 12/23/09​​Last Thursday, to preview Lady Gaga's show at the Fox that night, I posted about a Nirvana-Lady Gaga mashup floating around the Internet. In that post, I embedded the YouTube video and a link to the where the mashup originated: a blog post on th ... More >>

Legal Challenge to Smoking Ban Would Be Tough Sell, Say Law Experts

​Even before voters in St. Louis County overwhelmingly approved a smoking ban last week, opponents of the ban warned that they might challenge the statute in court.  At a press conference in October, Bill Hannegan of "Vote No on Proposition N" and Keep St. Louis Free said he and others were e ... More >>

Vanishing Act: Six years after the fact, the disappearance of nine-year-old Christian Ferguson remains a mystery. A Riverfront Times Special Report.

Same Ol' Song: Club owners owe royalties for music played on their premises

Law and Anarchy

St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa and his officers may stand trial for violating the civil rights of “anarchists” in 2003.

Hardest (Working) Man

Tony La Russa and the Double Standard

Why didn't the Cardinals skipper take more heat for his DUI?

You Play, They Pay: Internet Radio's Demise?

Is baseball a thing of the past in the black community?

Joe thinks so.

Dear Memphis: Joe would like his idea back.

Week of January 11, 2007

Week of November 2, 2005

Mysterious Departure

Why did the ACLU's legal director hit the road?

A Shot in the Arm

A federal appeals court says Darryl Burton might very well be innocent of the 1984 murder of Donald Ball. But there's nothing they can do about it.

Answering the Call

IRS employees bring Jesus to the office -- and manage to raise Cain

When Girls Go Wild

They're angry. They're violent. And they have juvenile-justice folks stumped.

Teflon Tiller

As the circle closes around him, John Tiller scrambles

Smoke and Numbers

In the Century Building scrap, everybody's deal is shaky, even the mayor's

Wild Card

When it comes to Ballpark Village, the Cardinals may have a joker up their sleeve

Trust Us

Six months after political heavyweights signed an agreement with the Cardinals, a deal is still up in the air

The Ethics Cop

Mike Reid knows firsthand what it's like to bend the rules

Slimin' the City

When it comes to Election Day problems in St. Louis, the politicians' rhetoric doesn't match the reality

Letters to the Editor

Published the week of August 16-22, 2000

LOSING WAIT

Thousands of St. Louis children are stuck for years in foster care before they get permanent homes.
The feds are demanding the wait be shorter. But for the city, that's easier said than done.

Justice for All