Jay Ashcroft will appeal twice-rejected abortion ballot language to Missouri Supreme Court

The Missouri Secretary of State's language for reproductive rights ballot issues has been savaged by two courts, most recently when the Western District Court of Appeals unanimously ruled his summaries are “replete with politically partisan language." Ashcroft called the lower court decisions "inappropriate."
Secretary of State Jay Aschcroft will try again to salvage the ballot summary he wrote for abortion rights initiative petitions with an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Ashcroft’s language has been savaged in opinions from two courts, most recently when the Western District Court of Appeals ruled his summaries are “replete with politically partisan language.”

In a Thursday interview with The Independent, Ashcroft said notice will be filed with the state’s highest court seeking a review of the Western District decision. The deadline for the appeal is Saturday.

The Oct. 31 appellate ruling upheld, with only minor revisions, the revised ballot titles written by Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem.

“I hope we’ll end up with a different result because what happened at the lower courts was inappropriate,” Ashcroft said.