Missouri
New York tells SCOTUS that Missouri AG's lawsuit to stop Trump's sentencing is 'dangerous'
Left: Donald Trump speaks with reporters (AP Photo/Evan Vucci). Right: New York Attorney General Letitia James (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews).
New York has responded to Missouri’s requested intervention at the Supreme Court over Donald Trump’s felony hush-money convictions, arguing that the “extraordinary” attempted gambit by the Show Me State’s attorney general to sue the Empire State and shut down Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s (D) ongoing case ahead of sentencing — to the advance the “interests” of the former president — “seriously undermines the integrity of the courts and risks setting a dangerous precedent that encourages a flood of similar, unmeritorious litigation.”
Missouri AG Andrew Bailey (R) earlier this week drew attention to the opposition deadline by saying the high court had “ordered” the Empire State to respond to his motion for leave to file a bill of complaint on Wednesday. New York was always going to have to respond, but that reality does not mean the justices have taken up the case or that they will ultimately grant Bailey leave to file his complaint, even if Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito end up reasserting their individual beliefs that the court has no choice but to grant leave, as Law&Crime has discussed. This is a replay of sorts of the state v. state maneuvering that failed in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
New York, represented by its Attorney General Letitia James (D) and Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, summed up Bailey’s case as a collection of “generalized and speculative grievances of Missouri residents who wish to hear former President Trump speak in person at rallies in Missouri and fear that their ability to do so will be impaired by any sentence imposed on him, or by restrictions that have been imposed on his extrajudicial statements.”
Bailey has asked the justices for a stay of an already loosened gag order on Trump in the Manhattan case and to stay the former president’s “impending sentence” for 34 felony falsification of business records convictions at least until after the 2024 election, even if that sentence is probation.
New York has countered Missouri by telling the justices they should deny the injunction request and deny Bailey leave to file the bill of complaint. Missouri has failed to “present a proper controversy between sovereign States that falls within this Court’s original and exclusive jurisdiction” and it lacks standing because the attempted lawsuit is based on a basket full of assumptions, the opposition said.
Missouri AG Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in 2023. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)
“It is speculative, because the potential sentence and speech restrictions may prove no obstacle to the interests of people who wish to hear from former President Trump. Sentencing has already been adjourned to September at the earliest and may not occur if the trial court grants former President Trump’s pending motion to set aside the verdict,” New York responded. “And he already can speak about all of the topics that Missouri’s declarants have attested they want to hear—including his views on the Manhattan DA, witnesses, jurors, and the trial court judge.”
“Missouri’s purported injury is also generalized, rather than concrete, because it is an interest that could be asserted by anyone,” the response continued. “Ultimately, the purported injury is not sovereign because Missouri is clearly and impermissibly seeking to further the individual interests of former President Trump.”
More Law&Crime coverage: Trump appeal says civil fraud trial judge rubber-stamped ‘lawless’ Letitia James’ campaign promise to punish violations that ‘do not exist’
Trump has a state forum to challenge both the hush-money verdict and the “mostly terminated” gag order restrictions — and he’s “currently litigating those issues. In addition, most of Bailey’s complaints are filled with baked-in assumptions about a sentencing that’s already been pushed back until September, if it’s going to happen at all following SCOTUS’ immunity case ruling, New York said:
Missouri’s theory of informational harm stemming from the (now- adjourned) sentencing, for example, turns on a chain of speculative inferences, including the assumption that: sentencing will proceed in September; former President Trump will receive a sentence that restricts his travel; this sentence will not be stayed pending appeal; as a result, he will be unable to travel to Missouri when he otherwise might have; and, in turn, Missouri’s electors or voters will not be able to receive information from him personally from within Missouri. Such a “highly attenuated chain of possibilities” is clearly insufficient to establish actual or imminent sovereign injury.
Warning that rewarding Bailey’s efforts would “permit an extraordinary and dangerous end-run around former President Trump’s ongoing state court proceedings and the statutory limitations on this Court’s jurisdiction to review state court decisions,” New York said the justices should not view complaints about “former President Trump’s ability to campaign” as an “actual controversy” between states warranting SCOTUS intervention in a local prosecutor’s case against an individual defendant.
“There is no merit to Missouri’s attempts to identify a cognizable sovereign injury distinct from the individual interests of former President Trump,” the opposition said.
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Job Point YouthBuild participants demonstrated their construction skills and shared their personal stories at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on April 21.
The event, hosted by the Missouri YouthBuild Coalition, brought together trainees, staff and partners from across the state, according to a community announcement. The day included hands-on construction demonstrations, youth-led advocacy and opportunities for participants to engage with policymakers.
A hands-on project
Trainees spent the morning constructing the framework of walls and portable chairs in teams, demonstrating the skills they are developing through YouthBuild programs in Columbia, St. Joseph and Cape Girardeau. At the end of the day, they assembled the walls to create a room, symbolizing the collaboration among trainees from different regions.
“It was a very good day. We had to build the chairs over there. I did a little measurement, cutting, all of that,” one Job Point YouthBuild student said in the announcement.
The experience highlighted not only technical skills, but also the importance of teamwork and communication, according to the announcement.
“Working together as a team, putting things together was exquisite. Communication was key,” another student shared in the announcement.
Sharing personal journeys
The event also provided a platform for participants to share their personal journeys. Many YouthBuild participants have faced significant barriers, including interruptions in education and limited access to employment opportunities. Through programs like Job Point’s YouthBuild, they are reconnecting with education, gaining workforce certifications and building pathways to meaningful careers, according to the announcement.
For students, the experience of participating in a statewide event and demonstrating their abilities in such a visible setting was both affirming and inspiring.
“I loved it! I had a great time. We built chairs. It was a good experience,” another participant said in the announcement.
Jerrell Morton, director of Job Point’s YouthBuild, emphasized the importance of visibility. Morton said in the announcement, “At its core, this day is about visibility — showing lawmakers, community leaders and the public what these young people are capable of. Our students aren’t just learning skills — they’re building confidence, leadership and a vision for their future.”
Addressing workforce needs
The event also highlighted the broader need for investment in workforce development initiatives like YouthBuild at the state level. Across Missouri, employers continue to report unfilled jobs and growing skills gaps. YouthBuild programs are helping to address that challenge by equipping young adults with practical training, work experience and the tools needed to succeed in high-demand industries such as construction, healthcare, IT and manufacturing.
For Job Point, participation in the event reinforced its commitment to empowering opportunity youth to overcome barriers, reclaim their education and achieve self-sufficiency and economic stability, according to the announcement.
“It’s a great experience. I love Job Point,” another student reflected in the announcement.
As the day concluded, trainees left with a new sense of confidence after meeting with their state representatives, senators and their staffers and standing up on the Missouri House and Senate floors, according to the announcement.
Job Point YouthBuild participants demonstrated their construction skills and shared their personal stories at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on April 21.
The event, hosted by the Missouri YouthBuild Coalition, brought together trainees, staff and partners from across the state, according to a community announcement. The day included hands-on construction demonstrations, youth-led advocacy and opportunities for participants to engage with policymakers.
A hands-on project
Trainees spent the morning constructing the framework of walls and portable chairs in teams, demonstrating the skills they are developing through YouthBuild programs in Columbia, St. Joseph and Cape Girardeau. At the end of the day, they assembled the walls to create a room, symbolizing the collaboration among trainees from different regions.
“It was a very good day. We had to build the chairs over there. I did a little measurement, cutting, all of that,” one Job Point YouthBuild student said in the announcement.
The experience highlighted not only technical skills, but also the importance of teamwork and communication, according to the announcement.
“Working together as a team, putting things together was exquisite. Communication was key,” another student shared in the announcement.
Sharing personal journeys
The event also provided a platform for participants to share their personal journeys. Many YouthBuild participants have faced significant barriers, including interruptions in education and limited access to employment opportunities. Through programs like Job Point’s YouthBuild, they are reconnecting with education, gaining workforce certifications and building pathways to meaningful careers, according to the announcement.
For students, the experience of participating in a statewide event and demonstrating their abilities in such a visible setting was both affirming and inspiring.
“I loved it! I had a great time. We built chairs. It was a good experience,” another participant said in the announcement.
Jerrell Morton, director of Job Point’s YouthBuild, emphasized the importance of visibility. Morton said in the announcement, “At its core, this day is about visibility — showing lawmakers, community leaders and the public what these young people are capable of. Our students aren’t just learning skills — they’re building confidence, leadership and a vision for their future.”
Addressing workforce needs
The event also highlighted the broader need for investment in workforce development initiatives like YouthBuild at the state level. Across Missouri, employers continue to report unfilled jobs and growing skills gaps. YouthBuild programs are helping to address that challenge by equipping young adults with practical training, work experience and the tools needed to succeed in high-demand industries such as construction, healthcare, IT and manufacturing.
For Job Point, participation in the event reinforced its commitment to empowering opportunity youth to overcome barriers, reclaim their education and achieve self-sufficiency and economic stability, according to the announcement.
“It’s a great experience. I love Job Point,” another student reflected in the announcement.
As the day concluded, trainees left with a new sense of confidence after meeting with their state representatives, senators and their staffers and standing up on the Missouri House and Senate floors, according to the announcement.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court issued opinions Tuesday in two cases concerning the state’s latest redistricting map.
Both opinions found the map meets constitutional requirements. As it is already in effect, it will stay in effect.
“Today’s Missouri Supreme Court rulings are a huge victory for voters,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a statement. “Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our Missouri values — rooted in common sense, hard work, and personal responsibility — are stronger and far more aligned across both sides of the aisle than the extreme left-wing agendas pushed in states like New York, California, and Illinois. The Missouri First Map ensures those values are represented fairly and accurately at every level of government. This August, Missouri voters will head to the ballot box to vote for candidates in these newly drawn districts.”
The opinion in Elizabeth Healey, et al. v. State of Missouri, et al. stated residents failed to meet the burden required by Missouri law to demonstrate the map was unconstitutional.
This case raised an issue with Article III, Section 45 of the Missouri Constitution, which states that districts “shall be comprised of contiguous territory as compact and as nearly equal in population as may be.” But the court found the concerned residents were unable to prove the “legislature improperly deviated from the directives of article III, section 45.”
The second lawsuit, Jake Maggard, et al. v. State of Missouri, et al., took issue with which map was currently in effect. Residents gathered signatures they believed should stop the new map from going into effect until put before Missouri voters.
However, the court ruled unanimously that nothing in the constitution allows a referendum petition alone to automatically suspend legislation. It has yet to be determined if the referendum petition filing was “legal, sufficient and timely,” per the opinion.
Additional redistricting cases remain ongoing.
NAACP, et al. v. Kehoe will go before the Missouri Supreme Court on May 27. This case argues the governor didn’t have the power to call the “extraordinary session” in which the new redistricting map was adopted.
Additionally, People Not Politicians v. Hoskins will go before a judge in July. Though in a lower court, this case concerns the validity of the signatures people gathered to force a statewide vote on the map.
—
American Idol‘s latest installment has come to end. After a notable season that brought contestants to Hawaii and featured a tribute to Taylor Swift, Season 24 wrapped with a three-hour long episode that saw hopefuls Jordan McCullough, Hannah Harper, and Keyla Richardson compete for the final spot.
In the end, Missouri native Harper took the crown. In the first round of the finale, Alicia Keys stepped in as a guest mentor for contestants, and Harper performed a bluegrass rendition of the Grammy winner’s chart-topping hit, “No One.” In the second turn, Harper sang a song she wrote herself, titled “Married Into This Town,” and reprised “String Cheese,” another song she penned and memorably sang for her audition, for the last round.
During a previous interview with Music Mayhem, Harper said that she grew up playing “bluegrass gospel music in churches every single weekend from age nine until I was 16.” She was drawn to singers like Dolly Parton and Shania Twain, who impacted her approach to music.
“I was raised super conservative, and so I knew of Dolly Parton, and we didn’t listen to a bunch of her music, but she was definitely somebody that I was drawn to. So extravagant. It’s so fun. And she’s such a good showman,” Harper said. “But I was a big Shania Twain fan, like early ‘90s Shania. That was the one tape that we had on, on the regular that my mom let me listen to.”
This year’s season saw judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan relocate the famous “Hollywood Week” for contestants who make it past auditions — trading Los Angeles for Nashville. There was also a special Ohana round in Hawaii that brought 30 finalists before an “industry” panel that included Kelly Sutton, the first female full-time host of the Grand Ole Opry, and Cheryl Porter, a vocal coach and Broadway star, and Rolling Stone‘s own Co-Editor-in-Chief, Shirley Halperin.
Halperin wrote about the experience, while detailing how the show has evolved since its debut over two decades ago. “Each hopeful brought their A game and looked fabulous doing it. How were we to choose? As it turned out, the ones who took the biggest risk — by performing an original song — had an edge,” Halperin noted. “As for our panel, we discussed the contestants’ ages and how they handled the stress of competing. We took note of their backstories, and were inspired by them. We recognized unique voices and range. But in the end, we favored musicianship over potential.”
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