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Supreme Court Declines Appeal From St. Louis Couple Who Faced BLM Protesters

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a major ruling in a case involving a personal injury lawyer and his wife.

In the summer of 2020, Mark McClosky, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, and his wife Patricia McCloskey, who was armed with a handgun, faced off against a Black Lives Matter-supporting mob that broke into their gated complex to protest the mayor of St. Louis, who lived down the street.

The McCloskeys later stated they were afraid for their lives after hearing shouted threats of violence from some of the demonstrators.

USA Today adds:

Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment. Missouri Gov. Michael Parson pardoned the McCloskeys in 2021 but the state office responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct by lawyers sought to suspend their law licenses.

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The Supreme Court of Missouri in February agreed to suspend the licenses indefinitely but stayed the suspensions and placed the two lawyers on probation for a year. Conditions of the probation included that the McCloskeys provided quarterly reports to a probation monitor – including whether they are charged with additional crimes – and provided 100 hours of free legal services.  

The McCloskeys appealed the state Supreme Court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the state court violated their Second Amendment rights as well as their constitutional right to due process because they were “exercising lawful rights to bear arms in defense of their person, family, and home.” Missouri is one of several states with a “Stand Your Ground” law that allows homeowners to defend themselves and their property with arms if they feel threatened; then-state lawmaker Parson helped craft the legislation.

But the nation’s highest court declined to hear their appeal, which means they now may face indefinite suspension of their law licenses and along with it the ability to earn a living.

Mark McCloskey is one of several GOP candidates running to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, who is retiring.

CNN reported that there were no known dissents from the high court, suggesting its refusal to take the appeal was unanimous.

The outlet continued:

Images of the McCloskeys brandishing the weapons became national news during the wave “Black Lives Matter” protestors in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Demonstrators were marching down a private street in front of the McCloskeys’ mansion to protest then-Mayor Lyda Krewson’s decision to publish the names and addresses of people in favor of police reform.

In videos posted to social media, Mark McCloskey is seen holding an AR-15 style rifle and Patricia McCloskey a pistol as the protestors walked by, and the images have played a prominent role in Mark McCloskey’s Senate race.

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Mark McCloskey told CNN at the time that he was “in imminent fear they (protesters) would run me over, kill me.”

After Parson issued pardons to both McCloskeys, the Missouri Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel asked the state’s highest court to suspend their law licenses citing the criminal conviction as the reason.

The state Supreme Court agreed to do so in February but put the suspensions on hold contingent upon the couple successfully completing their year-long probationary period.

“Both of them understand that what they did is a violation of Missouri law,” the couple’s attorney, Joel Schwarz told NPR. “I think it was equitable and justice was served,” he added of the misdemeanor plea.

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“But,” he went on, “if faced with a similar or same situation it’s something [Mark McCloskey] would do again.”

It should be noted, as NPR reported, that all charges of breaking and entering along with property damage against a handful of the protesters were dropped by the St. Louis District Attorney Kim Gardner, who was supported in her run for office by leftist billionaire George Soros.

In April, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered Gardner to hand over all Soros-related communications that are relevant to her failed case against former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is also running in the primary for Blunt’s seat.

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