It comes as a surprise to many drivers that it is against the law to text and drive in Missouri if you are under the age of 21.  Apparently this law also comes as a surprise to many law enforcement officers, as a report released today indicates that "fewer than 4 people a month" have received texting-while-driving citations since the law was passed in 2009.  In nearly half of Missouri's 144 counties, not a single such citation has ever been issued.  And in counties where there have been a handful of these tickets handed out, the fines are more often...

Yesterday in Jefferson City, representative Rory Ellinger (D - U.City) introduced two bills which both aim to greatly decriminalize the possession of marijuana throughout the state.   The first bill (intended to repeal RSMO 195.202 and RSMO 195.233) is a bare-bones marijuana decriminalization law.  If passed, this law would make it so that anyone caught with under 35 grams of marijuana would not be arrested, but would rather be given a ticket and a court date.  [This is the the current practice in some local municipalities, but is by no means the predominant method of charging people with small-time marijuana possession]. ...

My brother Alex Lindley was back at the office over winter break from Mizzou.  He has proven himself invaluable once again, assisting in various matters and making the workload around here much lighter.  He is returning to school this weekend, and will be sorely missed around this office. [caption id="attachment_130" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Alex Lindley , Legal Intern/Rising Star[/caption]