Cole County judge again rejects secretary of state ballot summary for anti-abortion amendment

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge has, for the second time, rejected the secretary of state's ballot summary for a constitutional amendment that would outlaw abortion across Missouri.

Judge Daniel Green refused to accept Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' second attempt to write the language for Amendment 3 on Tuesday. Green ordered Hoskins to take care of problems with a bullet point.

Green wrote in the order that the bullet point does not sufficiently explain what the amendment would change -- in this case, outlawing abortion. Amendment 3, which will be on the November 2026 ballot pending legal challenges, would overturn a constitutional amendment approved by voters last year that legalized abortion.

Hoskins -- a Republican who is staunchly against abortion -- was given five days to submit a revised summary.