Former Green Nominee Jill Stein Ordered to Appear in Person in Missouri Misdemeanor Case

A misdemeanor case against former Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein over her 2024 arrest at Washington University in Missouri is moving forward, with Stein ordered to appear in a St. Louis court next month.

St. Louis Magazine reported on August 17 that Stein and her attorney, Joseph Welch, failed to appear for a hearing in St. Louis Circuit Court, prompting Judge Karma Johnson to briefly issue a failure-to-appear warrant for Stein despite prosecutors saying they were not requesting one. Welch appeared later that day and successfully moved to have the warrant quashed.

Welch took responsibility for the missed appearance, telling the Washington Examiner in a separate article that he had incorrectly handled the court date. Stein herself also addressed the incident on social media.

“I hope the media pays more attention to the carnage in Gaza/West Bank than to a warrant issued over a schedule mix up, recalled by the judge before I even had a chance to comment,” Stein said in an August 18 X post.

Independent Political Report previously reported in March 2025 that Stein had been charged with one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault over her involvement in an April 27, 2024 demonstration at Washington University. Stein, who was then seeking the Green Party’s presidential nomination for a third time, had joined demonstrators calling on the university to divest from Boeing over the conflict in Gaza.

Prosecutors allege that Stein grabbed a bicycle being used by one campus officer during the demonstration and later kicked another officer while police moved to clear protesters. Stein said following her arrest that police struck her with a bicycle and threw her backward.

“I got separated from the rest of the crowd,” Stein said during an interview at the time. “It initially felt like there was safety in numbers, but then I found out I was being charged with assault—after being assaulted by a bicycle and basically thrown onto my head backwards.”

The case was initially filed in St. Louis County, but prosecutors later determined from video evidence and maps of the area that the alleged assault occurred on the St. Louis city portion of Washington University’s campus. Welch objected to transferring the case and filed a motion in June 2025 seeking its dismissal on the grounds that county prosecutors lacked authority to bring charges over conduct that occurred outside their jurisdiction.

The case was ultimately transferred to St. Louis Circuit Court, where St. Louis County prosecutors have continued to handle it. Stein is scheduled to appear in person on September 14, with the court warning that another warrant will be issued if she fails to appear.