SUPREME COURT SAYS THE ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT WILL REMAIN ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. THE ORDER THIS AFTERNOON FOLLOWED ORAL ARGUMENTS THIS MORNING JUST HOURS BEFORE A DEADLINE TO FINALIZE THE BALLOT AND GET IT OFF TO THE PRINTER >>ALL RIGHT. PLEASE BE SEATED. >>THE ARGUMENTS BEFORE THE HIGH COURT WERE MUCH THE SAME AS THOSE BEFORE THE CIRCUIT COURT. ON FRIDAY, ABOUT WHETHER AMENDMENT THREE DEALS WITH MULTIPLE SUBJECTS AND WHETHER THE PETITION USED TO GET IT ON THE BALLOT WAS LEGALLY FLAWED FOR NOT POINTING OUT ALL OF THE CHANGES IT WOULD MAKE TO CURRENT LAWS. BUT A COUPLE OF NEW WRINKLES RAISED SOME EYEBROWS. >>THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS GOING TO BE UP TO SHENANIGANS, ARGUING FOR MISSOURIANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM. >>ATTORNEY CHUCK HATFIELD WANTED SECRETARY OF STATE JAY ASHCROFT HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR DECERTIFYING AMENDMENT THREE. JUST A DAY BEFORE THE HIGH COURT HEARING. ASHCROFT CERTIFIED THE ABORTION RIGHTS QUESTION BACK IN AUGUST. ON FRIDAY, CIRCUIT JUDGE CHRISTOPHER LIMBAUGH HAD STAYED ANY CHANGE OF STATUS FOR THE AMENDMENT PENDING APPELLATE REVIEW, AND THE SUPREME COURT JUDGES BACKED HIM UP. >>THE ORDER FROM THIS COURT WAS THAT THE CIRCUIT COURT'S STAY WOULD REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL FURTHER ORDER OF THIS COURT. >>THE PLAINTIFFS DEFENDED ASHCROFT'S ACTION AS PROPER. >>THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S CERTIFICATION IS REVIEWABLE, AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY ON THE BALLOT. >>BUT THE COURT SAID THAT SINCE ASHCROFT HAD CERTIFIED THE PETITION AS SUFFICIENT PRIOR TO THE AUGUST DEADLINE ANY ACTION TAKEN TO CHANGE THAT DECISION WEEKS LATER IS, QUOTE, A NULLITY AND OF NO EFFECT. AMENDMENT THREE PROPONENTS ALSO EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE THAT PRECEDENT WAS ON THEIR SIDE. >>THE COURT HAS CONSISTENTLY HELD THAT TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS WILL NOT KEEP A MEASURE FROM THE BALLOT. >>NOW, THE COURT RULED AGAINST A CONTEMPT CITATION FOR JAY ASHCROFT. EVEN SO, ADVOCATES FOR AMENDMENT THREE CLAIMED A MAJOR VICTORY. SPOKESMAN TORY SCHAFFER SAID THE COURT'S DECISION, QUOTE GIVES VOTERS, NOT POLITICIANS, THE POWER TO DECIDE THIS CRITICAL ISSUE. DEMOCRAT GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE CRYSTAL QUADE PREDICTED VOTERS WILL OVERTURN THE STATE'S ABORTION BAN. JAY ASHCROFT TODAY EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE RULING AND ADVISED VOTERS TO READ THE AMENDMENT THREE TEXT CAREFULLY BEFORE VOTING. MID-MISSOURI CONGRESSMAN MARK ALFORD CALLED AMENDMENT THREE A RADICAL PROPOSAL THAT GOES FAR BEYOND ABORTION AND A STATEMENT FROM THE MISSOURI REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN NICK MEYERS APPEARED TO LAUNCH THAT CAMPAIGN, CLAIMING THE AMENDMENT WILL LEGALIZE ABORTION AT ANY POINT DURING A PREGNANCY WILL STRIP THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT FOR PARENTAL CONSENT FOR MINORS, AND POTENTIALLY COULD REQUIRE MISSOURI TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR ABORTIONS. THE OTHER SIDE SAYS NONE OF THAT IS TRUE