Missouri Anti-SLAPP Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature to Strengthen Free Speech
Bipartisan legislation awaiting Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature would replace Missouri’s weak anti-SLAPP protections with stronger tools to dismiss lawsuits targeting free speech.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening Missouri’s protections against lawsuits designed to silence public criticism sits on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk, ready to replace what advocates call one of the nation’s weakest anti-SLAPP laws.
The legislation, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Mike Henderson of Desloge, passed the Senate 31-0 in April and cleared the House 135-4 on the final day of the legislative session earlier this month. The measure would repeal Missouri’s current anti-SLAPP law and replace it with the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act.
SLAPP lawsuits — strategic lawsuits against public participation — are legal claims brought not necessarily to win in court, but to burden defendants with costly legal fees and pressure them into silence or settlement. The tactics typically target critics, activists, journalists, or others speaking on matters of public concern.
Expanded Legal Protections
Missouri’s existing anti-SLAPP law applies only in narrow circumstances. Henderson’s bill would expand coverage to include civil actions based on communications in government proceedings, speech about issues under consideration by government bodies, and the exercise of speech, press, assembly, petition, or association rights on matters of public concern.
The new framework would give judges broader power to quickly dismiss meritless lawsuits intended to chill free speech. If Kehoe signs the bill, it would take effect for civil actions filed or claims asserted on or after August 28.
Catching Up With Other States
Legal experts say the change would bring Missouri in line with approximately 30 other states that have enacted stronger protections against retaliatory litigation.
“This bill at long last gives it some bite, and would cause Missouri to catch up with the roughly 30 other states with strong laws protecting citizens’ right to free speech,” Eric Weslander, a Kansas attorney who has handled prominent anti-SLAPP cases, previously told The Missouri Independent.
The proposal was also added as an amendment to a larger bill pertaining to civil proceedings, providing multiple pathways for the reforms to become law.
The overwhelming legislative support reflects growing recognition that Missouri’s current protections lag behind national standards for defending First Amendment rights in civil court proceedings. The updated law would provide clearer guidelines for judges to identify and dismiss cases where litigation itself serves as the primary form of punishment against speakers.
