Missouri
Missouri Attorneys General are prolific censors posing as free speech champions • Missouri Independent
Missouri had an embarrassing trip to the U.S. Supreme Court last month, and things have gone downhill from there.
Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden), was filed in 2022 by our then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt and his Louisiana counterpart. They sued a slew of federal government agencies alleging that the agencies’ discussions with social media platforms about content moderation violated the First Amendment.
The case is an attempt to avenge those who believe that efforts by private companies and the federal government to diminish election and vaccine misinformation, hate speech, calls to violence and foreign influence amount to a conspiracy to discriminate against conservatives.
It’s a special kind of embarrassment for Missouri for multiple reasons.
The first is that Missouri and Louisiana put a bunch of lies in the record that their hand-picked Texas judge accepted, but these lies were exposed by the time the case got to the U.S. Supreme Court, making us look like clowns to even the conservative justices.
Worse, the mess of a factual record makes the case a terrible vehicle for clarifying the very important question of when government speech aimed at influencing citizens’ speech, known as “jawboning,” crosses a line into government coercion that violates the First Amendment.
The second is that Missouri Attorneys General Schmitt and his successor, Andrew Bailey, have been ridiculed by legal experts across the political spectrum for their hypocrisy on free speech, given their anti-speech actions outside of this case as well as their broader abuse of the legal process to fight culture wars.
The third is that this dangerous effort to limit free speech in order to foster disinformation has been quite effective
Lies and other weirdness in the Murthy v. Missouri record
Social media companies have economic and societal interests in not having misinformation and hate speech infect their platforms.
It’s not good for business to have a platform devolve into a swamp where advertisers see their content next to neo-Nazi propaganda. Nor for a platform to become known for perpetuating conspiracy theories. Or promoting outbreak-causing anti-vax content. Or fomenting violence.
This is why social media companies have trust and safety teams, terms of service agreements and content moderation policies that forbid or demote some speech that the First Amendment protects.
Sometimes, government officials alert social media companies when misinformation is flowing on a platform, as when foreign agents are impersonating Americans to spread election disinformation. Sometimes government officials loudly criticize companies for not dealing with misinformation or failing to adhere to their own policies. Other times, private companies consult government experts when they are trying to suss out what is misinformation and what isn’t, for example as they attempted to tamp down vaccine misinformation during the pandemic.
Bailey calls all this “a vast censorship enterprise.”
Missouri and Louisiana argued in Murthy v. Missouri that our federal government and social media companies talking to each other must stop. Bailey insists we need “a wall of separation between tech and state.
”But such a wall would actually be an unconstitutional restriction of speech. Social media companies have a right to speak to the government (or anyone else) and a right to control what speech appears on their platforms. The First Amendment doesn’t restrict these companies from limiting users’ speech because they are not state actors.
This is a problem for the effort to force companies to be more hospitable to disinformation and incitement. Missouri and Louisiana attempted to get around this by alleging that actions taken by the platforms were the result of government coercion. People who were there at the time, like former head of trust and safety at Twitter Yoel Roth, say that’s not what happened.
If the government was threatening companies into censoring speech, that would indeed be a First Amendment violation. But after an extensive (and likely expensive) fishing expedition, the attorneys general couldn’t find evidence of coercion — so they made some up.
In one particularly flagrant lie to the court, Missouri took an angry email from a White House official on an unrelated topic and pretended it was a demand that Facebook censor content.
The oft-quoted email read: “Are you guys f**king serious? I want an answer on what happened here and I want it today.”
That may be an unprofessional email, but it wasn’t about anything having to do with content moderation. It was taken from an exchange complaining about users being blocked from following the president’s Instagram account, which Facebook said was due to a technical problem.
Numerous other inaccuracies in the record have been cataloged by TechDirt’s Mike Masnick, Tech Policy Press, and others.
At oral arguments, multiple Supreme Court justices called out the lies in the record and a majority seemed loath to accept the states’ invitation to upend existing precedent under which the government is perfectly free to use persuasion to affect speech, but not coercion.
Bailey is Missouri’s speech coercer-in-chief
Many have noted that Bailey’s position in Murthy v. Missouri is incompatible with his position in two related cases concerning social media companies.
The Netchoice cases are challenges to laws passed by Texas and Florida that prohibit social media companies from moderating content in ways that discriminate on the basis of viewpoint. In other words, the laws would compel speech by requiring platforms to host content that they deem inappropriate or harmful.
This seems like a straightforward First Amendment violation, but Bailey filed an amicus brief arguing the laws should be upheld.
That is because Bailey is not seeking to protect against government intrusion on free speech.
On the one hand, he wants to bar the federal government from even criticizing speech he is in favor of. On the other, he wants state governments to be able to use the force of law to impose speech restrictions that require the platforming of right-wing misinformation and propaganda that the free market would otherwise diminish.
It’s a “heads-I-win, tails-you-lose” theory of free speech.
Worse, Bailey has repeatedly engaged in coercive behavior in his official capacity in order to suppress speech he doesn’t like.
Bailey joined a group of Republican attorneys general in sending a letter to Target threatening the company with legal consequences for selling LGBTQ-themed Pride gear. As First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn wrote, Target’s products were “emphatically, and unquestionably protected by the First Amendment,” and the attorneys general’s letter implicitly condoned threats of violence against Target employees that had caused the company to remove or relocate the merchandise.
Bailey has also filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Planned Parenthood from referring minors out of state for legal abortions, which is also clearly protected by the First Amendment.
Asked to respond to criticism of the lawsuit from me and others, Bailey admitted that giving out information about obtaining an abortion out of state is not illegal.
Most recently, Bailey has taken a lighter to the First Amendment by using his governmental power to punish Media Matters for reporting things that he doesn’t want reported.
Media Matters, a left-leaning non-profit media watchdog, reported on the fact that since Elon Musk took over Twitter there has been an increase in hate speech that caused advertisements to appear next to neo-Nazi content. Musk doesn’t deny this happened, but nonetheless sued Media Matters for reporting that it did. A similar lawsuit Musk filed against another group has already been dismissed by a judge who didn’t mince words, “This case is about punishing the defendants for their speech.“
Bailey, in an olympic act of Musk sycophancy and “free speech for me, but not thee” legal innovation, has sought to add some governmental muscle to Musk’s anti-speech crusade by claiming that Media Matters has violated the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, on the absurd theory that the organization duped donors into supporting the kind of work it has always done.
Bailey can lose in court, but succeed at suppressing vital speech
Bailey, his predecessor and the big guys whose favor they are seeking are on the wrong side of the First Amendment. They will ultimately be told this by the courts.
But they are succeeding at chilling speech and imperiling our democracy in the meantime.
Media Matters and Planned Parenthood will defend themselves and eventually prevail, after having precious dollars, time and energy stolen from their speech-dependent missions by frivolous litigation.
For Target, Google and others, it may be simpler to cave to the pressure and self-censor.
Murthy v. Missouri has already resulted in serious damage. Despite the stays of the lower court injunctions, the federal government and independent researchers largely stopped communicating with social media companies, ceasing efforts to combat the viral spread of disinformation. It was only after Missouri and Louisiana’s embarrassing showing at oral arguments that the FBI resumed alerting social media companies to foreign influence campaigns.
This is a real problem in an era of anti-vax fueled measles outbreaks, death threats against blameless election workers and foreign misinformation campaigns aimed at influencing our upcoming election.
Facts are vital to a functioning democracy. Bailey’s speech authoritarianism is an attempt to drown them out.
As of Saturday, December 20, 2025, the sports world is delivering a massive weekend slate, with the NFL Week 16 doubleheader and a trio of College Football Playoff games leading the charge. To capitalize on this jam-packed schedule, Bet365 Sportsbook is making a major statement in Missouri. To maintain momentum during this critical launch month, Bet365 Missouri is offering an unmissable incentive for today’s action: the Bet365 bonus code SYRACUSE unlocks a guaranteed “Bet $10, Get $365 in Bonus Bets” promo for all new Missouri customers.
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Today’s Headline Betting Events: NFL & CFP
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NFL Week 16 Spotlight
- Eagles vs. Commanders: A massive NFC East rivalry game kicking off at 5:00 PM ET at Northwest Stadium.
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CFP Round 1 Spotlight
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Current Betting Odds
| Game | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 19, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
01-11-27-39-59, Mega Ball: 18
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
Midday: 4-3-1
Midday Wild: 3
Evening: 3-6-5
Evening Wild: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
Midday: 4-5-1-4
Midday Wild: 0
Evening: 5-5-4-1
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
06-31-34-37-41, Cash Ball: 04
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
Early Bird: 08
Morning: 05
Matinee: 15
Prime Time: 07
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Dec. 19 drawing
12-23-28-33-38
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.
Missouri’s attorney general has revealed which Chinese assets the state will be targeting in a $50 billion legal row.
The Show Me State’s legal battle with China has intensified as both sides pursue multibillion-dollar claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And now, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has explained what is on the table in terms of what assets will be targeted in the litigation.
“China caused extraordinary harm to our citizens and our economy,” she told Newsweek. “We are committed to holding them accountable and recovering every dollar we can. I’ve been asked if we will seize the pandas at the National Zoo. The answer is no, we are looking at other Chinese-owned assets, including farmland.”
Why It Matters
The confrontation highlights ongoing diplomatic rifts between the United States and China and raises complex questions about international law, sovereign immunity, and the ability of U.S. states to seize foreign-owned property. The outcome could set precedents for future pandemic-related litigation and diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
What To Know
China recently filed a lawsuit in a Wuhan court against Missouri and several state officials, seeking more than $50 billion in damages and public apologies.
In response, Missouri is advancing efforts to enforce a $24 billion U.S. court judgment against the Chinese government and affiliated entities—by targeting certain Chinese-owned assets within the United States.
The current dispute stems from a 2020 lawsuit filed by Missouri, which alleged that China exacerbated the coronavirus pandemic by hoarding personal protective equipment (PPE) and failing to provide timely warnings regarding the virus.
Earlier this year, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office obtained a $24–$25 billion judgment against the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and related entities after Chinese officials declined to participate in the U.S. court process.
In response to Missouri’s legal success, China has now filed a $50.5 billion (356.4 billion yuan) lawsuit in the Intermediate People’s Court of Wuhan.
The complaint, jointly submitted by the Chinese government, Wuhan’s municipal government, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, names the state of Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, and former Attorney General Andrew Bailey as defendants.
The Chinese lawsuit claims Missouri and its officials engaged in “fabricating enormous disinformation, and spreading stigmatizing and discriminating slanders” that impaired China’s economic interests and reputation.
Alongside financial compensation, China seeks public apologies in prominent American and Chinese media outlets, recovery of legal costs, and the right to claim further damages.
What People Are Saying
Hanaway said: “I find it extremely telling that the Chinese blame our great state for ‘belittling the social evaluation’ of The Wuhan Institute of Virology… We stand undeterred in our mission to collect on our $24 billion judgment that was lawfully handed down in federal court.”
U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, who initiated Missouri’s original lawsuit, said: “I’ve been banned from Communist China, and now I am being sued and targeted by Communist China in a $50 Billion lawfare campaign, and I’ll wear it like a badge of honor… This novel lawsuit is factually baseless, legally meritless, and any fake judgment a Chinese court issues in this lawsuit we will easily beat back and keep from being enforced against the people of Missouri or me.”
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, described the Missouri lawsuit as “a purely politically motivated maneuver [and] China firmly opposes it, will never accept it, and reserves the right to take strong countermeasures.”
What Happens Next
Missouri is in the process of seeking certification of its federal court judgment—a legal prerequisite for initiating asset seizures under U.S. law. If certification is granted, the state may move forward with efforts to identify and seize Chinese-owned assets, particularly farmland and financial interests connected to the Chinese government or its proxies.
Simultaneously, Chinese legal action in Wuhan courts is ongoing, with the plaintiffs demanding significant damages and public apologies.
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