Missouri
Missouri abortion rights ballot measure now headed to state supreme court
FILE – Missouri residents and pro-choice advocates react to a speaker during Missourians for Constitutional Freedom kick-off petition drive, Feb. 6, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)
The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether a ruling by a judge — who is also a cousin to late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh — striking down a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state will stand.
After Missouri Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled late Friday that the ballot initiative known as Amendment 3 violated state law, the case bypassed Missouri’s court of appeals and headed straight to the state’s’ highest bench. Oral arguments are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday — the same day ballots are supposed to be printed for absentee voters.
Missouri has a near-total ban on abortion that was put into place immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. A proposed ballot initiative known as “The Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative” proposed revising Missouri’s constitution to protect abortion rights by including the following language:
The Government shall not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.
The right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted unless the Government demonstrates that such action is justified by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means. Any denial, interference, delay, or restriction of the right to reproductive freedom shall be presumed invalid. For purposes of this Section, a governmental interest is compelling only if it is for the limited purpose and has the limited effect of improving or maintaining the health of a person seeking care, is consistent with widely accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that person’s autonomous decision-making.
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Advocacy group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom produced more than 380,000 signatures from Missouri voters across the state in order to earn the measure a place on the ballot.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, several states have begun the process of carrying out ballot measures that similarly protect abortion rights. The efforts have proven largely successful, even in conservative-leaning states such as Kansas and Kentucky.
Ten states, including Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota, expect to present ballot initiatives on abortion to voters in the upcoming November election. Although polling suggests that voters support the ballot measures across the country, anti-abortion activists and lawmakers in Missouri and elsewhere have campaigned hard to try to keep the measures from getting on the ballot, proposing legislation that would make it harder to collect signatures or pass the measures, and encouraging voters who signed the petition to remove their names.
A group of anti-abortion activists sued the Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who certified the citizen-led ballot initiative for the Nov. 5 ballot, asking that the measure be kept from voters this fall.
The plaintiffs, represented by the Thomas More Society, include Republican state legislators Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Rep. Hannah Kelly, anti-abortion activists Kathy Forck and Marguerite Forrest. They argued that the amendment’s language could have unintended affects that go far beyond abortion, such as interference with state bans against gender-affirming health care and human cloning.
Limbaugh, a judge of the Cole County Circuit Court, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs Friday. In a 10-page ruling, Limbaugh said that the petition submitted by Anna Fitz-James constituted a “blatant violation of the sufficiency requirements” for placing the measure on the ballot. Limbaugh said that voters had not been sufficiently informed about the ramifications of the proposal.
Limbaugh said that if presented to voters as planned, the amendment could “result in a repeal of Missouri statutes or that it’s too confusing to determine which statutes would be repealed.”
Limbaugh, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson after serving as his general counsel, said that his ruling would be stayed until Tuesday when the ballots are scheduled for printing.
Mary Catherine Martin, Thomas More Society Senior Counsel, praised Limbaugh’s decision in a statement
Amendment 3 is designed to commit Missourians to allowing and funding an enormous range of decisions, even by children, far beyond just abortion. The court’s favorable decision relies on only the most glaring decision among a range of consequences hidden by the drafters of Amendment 3. We are confident the reviewing court will also hold that Missouri voters have a right to know what they are voting on, and to vote on one matter at a time. Thomas More Society’s mission is to defend life, family, and freedom — wherever they are threatened. Missouri’s Amendment 3 threatens all three. We will not allow Missourians to be deceived into signing away dozens of current laws that protect the unborn, pregnant women, parents, and children.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom issued a statement Friday calling Limbaugh’s ruling “a profound injustice to the initiative petition process,” that “undermines the rights of nearly 380,000 Missourians.”
Campaign manager Rachel Sweet promised, “Our fight to ensure that voters — not politicians — have the final say is far from over.”
The appeal was fast-tracked to Missouri’s top court and scheduled immediately for oral arguments.
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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 21, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 21 drawing
01-36-43-56-58, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 21 drawing
Midday: 0-0-9
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 0-7-4
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 21 drawing
Midday: 4-2-2-8
Midday Wild: 4
Evening: 9-4-7-5
Evening Wild: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 21 drawing
Early Bird: 14
Morning: 05
Matinee: 03
Prime Time: 02
Night Owl: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 21 drawing
17-19-22-25-29
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The Missouri House passed a bill Monday that would force entities receiving state funding to restrict usage of restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping accommodations based on biological sex and codify definitions for “female,” “male,” and “sex” throughout state statute.
State Rep. Becky Laubinger, a Republican from Park Hills, pitched the legislation as a “vital protection for women.” Lax policies and all-gender restrooms, like facilities in the Kansas City International Airport, invite predators, she argued.
“This is about our government facilities forcing people to share those spaces by creating all gender spaces where you don’t have the option in those spaces to go to a single sex space,” Laubinger said.
But during a House debate over the bill’s language last week, Democrats raised numerous issues with the legislation, saying it would be used to target transgender people.
“If you can just call the police and accuse someone of using the wrong bathroom, think about the implications of that,” said state Rep. Wick Thomas, a Kansas City Democrat and the House’s first transgender member.
The bill lacks an enforcement mechanism, other than allowing people to sue state-funded entities that do not “take reasonable steps” to designate single-sex spaces.
The bill’s fiscal note reflects concerns about costly litigation, though state departments could not estimate how much they will be impacted.
The University of Central Missouri projected “an indeterminate fiscal impact,” pointing to the “costs associated with enforcement of the regulations.”
The bill would require public universities to restrict dorm rooms, bathrooms, and locker rooms based on biological sex. It states that, “no individual shall enter a restroom, changing room or sleeping quarters that is designated for females or males unless he or she is a member of that sex.”
State Rep. Keri Ingle, a Democrat from Lee’s Summit, asked if this would bar college students from having students of the opposite sex in their dorm rooms overnight.
Laubinger said she had heard complaints from college students who felt uncomfortable when their roommate allowed a significant other to sleep over.
“I understand someone not wanting a boy over,” Ingle said. “I don’t know why we would legislate that. I don’t know why we would put that in the statute.”
State Rep. Mark Boyko, a Democrat from Kirkwood, said the bill would bar men from visiting women’s dorm rooms at any time. He wouldn’t be allowed to help his daughter set up her dorm room as a man, he said.
“I understand the intention you’re having,” he told Laubinger. “But the words don’t match your intention of this bill.”
House Republicans offered broad support, calling the bill a basic safety measure.
State Rep. Carolyn Caton, a Blue Springs Republican, said she thinks the legislation would be a “good protection.
“If nothing else, I think it just eases some young ladies’ minds,” she said.
The bill passed along party lines Monday, apart from a lone Republican “nay” from state Rep. Tara Peters of Rolla, who also voted against the bill at the committee level.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 20 drawing
09-17-36-47-64, Powerball: 26, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 20 drawing
Midday: 6-4-7
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 0-2-2
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 20 drawing
Midday: 5-1-9-1
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 2-5-8-0
Evening Wild: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 20 drawing
Early Bird: 12
Morning: 10
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 03
Night Owl: 06
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 20 drawing
01-11-14-16-18
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 20 drawing
04-29-35-40-43, Powerball: 21
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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