Originally presented on 12/6/2022 and also presented during the 2022 Annual Government Practice Institute on 12/9/22.
In November, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3, relating to marijuana use and the expungement of cannabis-related criminal records. The new constitutional amendment took effect Dec. 8. The portions of Amendment 3 authorizing constitutional expungements will be particularly relevant for criminal law practitioners.
This online course is designed to provide Missouri lawyers with a basic understanding of constitutional expungements under Amendment 3's framework, so they will be ready to answer client questions and take proper action.
Speakers: Mary D. Fox, Director, Office of the Public Defender, Columbia; Amy Fite, Prosecuting Attorney, Christian County, Ozark; Sara G. Rittman, Jefferson City; Sydney Ragsdale, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, UMKC Expungement Clinic, Kansas City; Jason K. Lewis, Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs, Missouri Attorney General's Office, St. Louis; Doug Shull, General Counsel at Missouri Department of Corrections, Jefferson City; Moderator: Eric D. Jennings, The Missouri Bar, Jefferson City
Moderators:
JAN 31 | Sydney Ragsdale
FEB 24 | Sydney Ragsdale
MAR 28 | Sydney Ragsdale
APR 25 | Stacey Lannert, Missouri State Public Defender, St. Louis
| Amendment 3 Constitutional Expungement - Selected Texts - Jennings (0.16 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Amendment 3 Expungeent - Ethical Issues - Rittman (0.09 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Expungement Under Amendment 3 - Ragsdale (0.15 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Amendment 3 - Article XIV, Section 2, Subsection 10 - Legible Text - Ragsdale (0.13 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| MOLAP Information (0.20 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (0.05 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Amendment 3's Constitutional Expungements (619.1 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| MOLAP Information (210.1 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (102.8 KB) | Available after Purchase |
On January 1, 2011, Amy Fite began her first term as the Prosecuting Attorney for Christian County. During her tenure the office has transitioned to a “fileless office”, a “no refusal” policy has been established to allow law enforcement to seek search warrants in cases involving impaired drivers, the office has been structured into teams for better efficiency and accountability. She has implemented a best practice of vertical prosecution – meaning the same prosecutor handles the case from case review through disposition.
After graduating cum laude from St. Louis University School of Law in 1997, Fite began as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. While there she served as the narcotics attorney. Upon leaving Christian County, Fite spent over eight years at the Circuit Attorney’s Office for the City of St. Louis. At the Circuit Attorney’s Office, Fite served in the Drug Court, Domestic Violence Unit, General Felony Trial Staff, Gang Unit, and the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit. She spent more than two years as the Trial Trainer, where she trained incoming Assistant Circuit Attorneys how to prepare and try jury trials. While at the Circuit Attorney’s Office, Fite participated in well over 100 jury trials, including successfully convicting murderers, robbers, rapists and child sex offenders. In 2008, Fite joined in the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office serving as a 1st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the General Crimes Unit. January 1, 2011, she began her first term as Christian County Prosecuting Attorney.
Mary Fox is the Director of the Missouri State Public Defender System. Fox was appointed to this position in January, 2020. Prior to that appointment Fox served for thirteen years as the managing attorney of the St. Louis City Trial Office for the system. Fox began her career as a public defender in 1981 as an Assistant Public Defender for MSPD and served in that position until 1987. In the intervening twenty years between her service with MSPD Fox served as a hearing officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division, was a Commissioner for the 21st Judicial Circuit in Missouri and practiced mainly in family and juvenile law. Fox is a 1976 graduate of St. Louis University with a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs and a 1980 graduate of St. Louis University School of Law.
Eric Jennings currently serves as general counsel for The Missouri Bar. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law (2005) and Truman State University (2002) and a member of The Missouri Bar, BAMSL, SMBA, and the Federalist Society.
Jason Lewis has been with the Attorney General’s Office since 2016 and is currently Chief Counsel for the Governmental Affairs Section. His principal practice areas are constitutional law, administrative law, elections law, Sunshine Law, and appellate litigation. Jason earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. Following his graduation from law school, Jason was first in private practice at a large law firm in St. Louis.
Sydney Ragsdale is an attorney who works with UMKC School of Law's Clear My Record Project and Expungement Clinic. Previously she worked as an investigator and legal researcher for capital defense attorney Sean O'Brien and the Midwest Capital Habeas Network.
Sara Rittman was an Assistant Attorney General from 2019-2022. She served on the office's Professional Responsibility Committee as well as serving in leadership roles in the Governmental Affairs and Litigation Divisions. She practiced legal ethics and attorney discipline law from 1993-2019, including private practice, as Missouri's first Legal Ethics Counsel, and at OCDC. She was also previously an AAG from 1981-1993. She received her JD from UMKC in 1981.
