Michael Barraza

Milan man arrested after execution of search warrant

A Milan resident has been arrested following the execution of a search warrant at an apartment in the 500 block of Southeast State Street in Milan. According to Milan Police Chief Gail Hayes, Michael Barraza was taken into custody Sunday night after officers recovered about one pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, two firearms, and several […]

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson photo courtesy Wikipedia

GOP senators attack and interrupt Judge Jackson in final day of questioning U.S. Supreme Court nominee

(Missouri Independent) – In the third day of hearings Wednesday on the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, several Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interrogated her about sentences she handed down for child pornography offenses, disagreeing vehemently with her judicial decisions. Republicans grilled her with questions she had already answered […]

Video: Senator Hawley questions Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson over record of lenient sentencing for pedophiles

During the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination for U.S. Supreme Court today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) focused his questioning on the alarming trend of lenient sentencing in child pornography cases that he first mentioned in a tweet thread last week and his opening comments yesterday. During his time, Sen. Hawley focused on Judge […]

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Missouri Secretary of State receives Missouri State Senate redistricting maps from Judicial Commission

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced that the Judicial Redistricting Commission has filed Missouri State Senate redistricting maps with his office. Ashcroft, as secretary of state, serves as the chief elections officer for Missouri. The district maps were received by Ashcroft’s office yesterday at 4:48 pm from the Office of Administration and will soon be […]

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St. Louis jail inmates file class action lawsuit alleging guards torture them with mace

(Missouri Independent) – Inmates at St. Louis’ primary jail filed a federal class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing guards of torture with mace and depriving them of water for days. The inmates are represented by a team of attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center, ArchCity Defenders, the SLU Law Legal Clinics, and Rights Behind Bars.  “They spray chemical agents […]

Gallery View of Missouri Senate

Missouri Senate passes $4.6B spending bill with pay raises, federal school funds

(Missouri Independent) – With a deadline looming that could cost Missouri almost $2 billion in federal education aid, the bill to distribute the money passed the state Senate on Wednesday after Democrats slammed a zero-dollar funding line as a partisan attack on Planned Parenthood. The $4.6 billion spending bill approved on a 25-7 vote is the first legislation requiring […]