Missouri Lobbying Limits Trimmed Back in First Amendment Appeal

Missouri’s ban on lobbying by former state lawmakers and legislative aides for two years after leaving office violates their First Amendment rights under the US Constitution, a federal appeals court said Monday.

The state failed to show that the ban served a compelling state interest in reducing quid pro quo corruption by former lawmakers and legislative aides, and the ban as drafted wasn’t narrowly tailored to serve that purpose, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled, unanimously reversing a lower court ruling for the state.

The appellate court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs’ constitutional challenge ...