
How to navigate Missouri’s guardianship laws
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By Emily C. KarpinskiSeptember 17, 2018 12:24:24By Emily C KarpinksicThe Missouri Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a transgender woman who sued the state to end her guardianship of her son had the right to make a public announcement in which she stated that she would be giving up her son.
The court ruled in a 7-0 opinion that a Missouri woman named Laura Karpinskis had the rights to make the announcement on social media.
The mother, who is not identified by name, filed a lawsuit last year in federal court in St. Louis seeking to overturn her son’s guardianships.
The decision upholds the Missouri Supreme’s ruling that Karpinkis’s rights to publicly disclose her son were protected by the U.S. Constitution.
In a statement after the ruling, Karpinsky’s lawyer, Scott Miller, said his client had no regrets about making the announcement.
“We look forward to bringing the facts of this case to the court, and the American people, to determine how best to honor the will of the court,” Miller said.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Karpinskiskis sued to end a protective order that prevented her from living with her son, who she said was a threat to her and her daughter, who were living with him.
Kipinski said in the lawsuit that her son was acting out and that the state had not done enough to protect her from his violent behavior.
The judge agreed with Karpinka, ruling that the court had jurisdiction over Karpinks claims, which included the right of a public official to protect against violence, and that public disclosure of Karpins actions could violate the state’s constitutional right to privacy.
Kipinski is not the only transgender person suing the state.
In May, a transgender man named Jordan Thomas was appointed to a federal judgeship in Missouri.
The appointment was part of a larger transgender rights movement, but it was not until last year that the Missouri legislature voted to remove protections for transgender people from state law.