Supreme Court of Missouri / Oct 9, 2020
The Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and others sought declaratory and injunctive relief to allow all Missouri voters to vote by mail without notarization during the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit court denied their request, and the Appellants appealed. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, holding that the statutory phrase "confinement due to illness" does not include voluntarily confining oneself to avoid contracting or spreading a pathogen, and that the right to vote absentee or by mail is not a fundamental right under the Missouri Constitution.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Jun 23, 2020
The Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other petitioners appealed the circuit court's dismissal of their petition for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief concerning Missouri's absentee voting statute, section 115.277, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit court had dismissed all four counts for failure to state a claim. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal of Count II, which petitioners abandoned on appeal, but reversed and remanded the judgment as to Counts I, III, and IV, finding that those counts sufficiently stated claims for relief.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Oct 30, 2018
The Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and others challenged the enforceability of Missouri's Voter ID Law, alleging insufficient state appropriations for its implementation. The trial court granted the State's motions for judgment on the pleadings, dismissing the petition. The appellate court reversed, holding that the claims were not barred by sovereign immunity, were ripe for adjudication, and that local election authorities were not indispensable parties. The court further found that the petition adequately pleaded a claim of insufficient appropriation, thus reversing the dismissal and remanding for further proceedings.