Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York for the violation of Missouriansâ First Amendment right to hear from a presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
Bailey stated that the sentencing of Trump undermines the ability to campaign for president, sabotaging Missouriansâ ability to hear from and cast a fully informed vote for a presidential candidate. Bailey is calling on the Supreme Court to invoke its original jurisdiction under Article III, Section II of the Constitution to settle the legal battle between the two states, according to a press release.
âWeâre going to continue to fight against lawfare in all of its forms, not only by entering and filing briefs in the other illicit witch hunt prosecutions of President Trump, but also fighting to expose and make transparent the collusion between Bidenâs Department of Justice and the illicit witch hunt prosecutions at the state level, and fighting censorship and the silencing of not only President Trumpâs voice but of listeners in Missouri,â Bailey told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Trump was convicted on 34 accounts of falsification of business records stemming from a nondisclosure agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels. The Manhattan jury consisting of seven men and five women indicted Trump after almost 12 hours of deliberations.
Trump could still face jail time as his sentencing was set for July 11, but has been pushed back to September 18 following the Supreme Courtâs ruling granting immunity from prosecution for official acts. Bailey stated in the suit that any sentence, even probation, would likely interfere with Trumpâs ability to freely campaign across the country.
âBy the time this lawsuit is fully briefed, that date will be near at hand, and the regular appeals process in the underlying trial after September 18 will be far too slow to afford Missouri relief,â the lawsuit states.
âTheindictmentitselfhastetheredPresidentTrumptoacourtroominNewYorkforweeksduringthecampaignandhasthepotentialtosendhimtoprisonatworstandhonorhistermsofprobationatbest.Thatagain,deniesMissouriansaccesstothepresident,butadditionally,thegagorderthatwasrequestedbytheprosecutorandapprovedbythejudgeviolatesMissouriansâ First Amendmentrightstohearfromapresidentialcandidate,â Bailey told the DCNF.
Bailey hinted on June 20 that he would sue the State of New York for the attack on the democratic process through unconstitutional lawfare against former President Donald Trump, according to his statement on X.
âTrumpâs conviction is very likely to be overturned on appeal. But by then, the constraints New York has sought to impose on Trump to limit his ability to campaign will already have had their full effect. Missouri has a strong, judicially enforceable interest in its citizens and electors being able to hear Trumpâs campaigning free from any gag order or other interference imposed by the State of New York,â Bailey stated in the suit.
Bailey filed a motion of preliminary injunction, asking the court to immediately halt any further action in the New York case until after the American people have had their say at the ballot box, according to the press release.
âMissourians are deeply concerned about the direction of this nation. In Missouri, we love freedom and we love the rights that are given to God and protected by the United States Constitution. We believe that the government exists to protect our rights, and so when we see the government weaponized against an individual to take those rights away, it is an affront to who we are as a people,â Bailey told the DCNF.
Featured image credit:Â (Screen Capture/CSPAN)
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterâs byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].