On September 23, 2026 the Missouri Supreme Court heard a case that should concern every parent in this state and is one of many reasons we need to pass Amendment 3. The Public School Library association is asking the Missouri Supreme Court to throw out a law that protects children from queer education. That case, and the debate behind it, show why Missouri needs to put protections for children where politicians and lawsuits can't easily undo them.
The SB 775 case shows how fragile ordinary law is and why Amendment 3 Constitutional protections are critical. Even though the legislature passed a measure to protect kids from queer education material, years later it is still being fought in court, with one judge already having blocked it statewide. Parents shouldn't have to wonder whether the next lawsuit or the next sunset date will wipe out protections they count on to keep their children safe from gender procedures.
Amendment 3 puts the decision in the hands of Missouri voters. It makes the protection for minors from irreversible gender procedures permanent.
What the Law Does and Who Is Fighting Against It
In 2022 the duly elected representatives of Missouri passed Senate Bill 775. One of its provisions, Section 573.550, makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person affiliated with a public or private elementary or secondary school in an official capacity, such as a teacher, librarian, or administrator, to knowingly provide a student with "explicit sexual material." The statute defines that as visual depictions, meaning pictures, film, or computer-generated images, of sex acts or of certain sexual conduct. It exempts works of art with serious artistic significance, works of anthropological significance, and materials used in science and sex-education courses. Violations carry up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
That is a modest, common-sense line: school staff should not be handing graphic sexual images to children. These are the books and materials that when parents read them in school board meetings, the school boards stopped them because they were too obscene and disturbing.
In February 2023, the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association sued, with the ACLU of Missouri among their counsel. They argue the law is unconstitutionally vague, restricts protected speech under the Missouri Constitution, and isn't needed because obscene material is already barred from schools. In November 2025 a Jackson County circuit judge agreed, struck the law down, and permanently blocked its enforcement. The state appealed. The Supreme Court heard arguments on September 23, 2026, and has not yet ruled.
Why This Matters for Amendment 3
Decisions about how and when children encounter sexual content, including content about gender and sexuality, belong first to parents, not to school staff or courtrooms. When schools put sexual and gender-identity material in front of young people without their parents' knowledge, they encourage a child to start socially transitioning before the family is even part of the conversation. Social transition is a first step toward medical interventions, and that a whole industry stands ready to meet that demand.
That is where Amendment 3 comes in. Among other provisions, Amendment 3 writes a ban on gender transition procedures for minors into the Missouri Constitution. Right now those protections rest on statute. The 2023 SAFE Act (SB 49) limits on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors are set to expire in 2027, as AP and PBS have reported. Without Amendment 3, they will lapse.
Statutes Can Be Struck Down. The Constitution Holds.
The SB 775 case shows how fragile ordinary law is A legislature passes a measure to protect kids, and years later it is still being fought in court, with one judge already having blocked it statewide. Parents shouldn't have to wonder whether the next lawsuit or the next sunset date will wipe out protections they count on.
Amendment 3 puts the decision in the hands of Missouri voters. It makes the protection for minors permanent unless the people themselves vote to change it.
Vote YES on November 3
You don't have to agree with every argument in a courtroom to agree on one simple principle: children deserve protection, and parents deserve the final word. Vote YES on Amendment 3 on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Sources
1. Hannah Falcon, "Missouri Supreme Court considers constitutionality of law that led to hundreds of books being removed from school libraries," KY3, Sept. 23, 2026. https://www.ky3.com/2026/09/23/missouri-supreme-court-considers-constitutionality-law-that-led-hundreds-books-being-removed-school-libraries/
2. Supreme Court of Missouri, Missouri Association of School Librarians, et al. v. Melesa Johnson, et al., and State of Missouri, et al., Case No. SC101423, argued Sept. 23, 2026. Dockets and Oral Arguments: https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1975 (case details also reported by Missouri Lawyers Media: https://molawyersmedia.com/2026/10/06/missouri-school-explicit-sexual-material-law/)
3. Jackson County Circuit Court, Order and Final Judgment, MASL v. Johnson, No. 2316-CV05732 (Nov. 17, 2025). https://www.aclu-mo.org/app/uploads/2025/12/2316-CV05732-MASL-JUDGMENT-11172025.pdf
4. "Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments over school library content," ABC17 News, Sept. 23, 2026. https://abc17news.com/news/missouri/2026/09/23/missouri-supreme-court-hears-arguments-over-school-library-content/
5. "'Are those books actually on the shelves?'", Pathway (Baptist Press), Oct. 20, 2026. https://mbcpathway.com/2026/10/20/are-those-books-actually-on-the-shelves-mo-supreme-court-takes-up-question-of-explicit-books-in-public-schools/