Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein faces an arrest warrant in Missouri after she and her attorney failed to appear at a court hearing Monday morning in St. Louis related to misdemeanor charges stemming from a 2024 Washington University protest.
Circuit Court Judge Karma Johnson issued the warrant after neither Stein nor her attorney Joseph Welch appeared for the hearing on Monday, August 18. According to court documents, the judge noted the absence and stated, “There will be a failure to appear warrant for Ms. Stein.” The prosecutors handling the case indicated they were not requesting a warrant, but Johnson proceeded with the order anyway.
The charges against Stein stem from an April 27, 2024 pro-Palestine protest at Washington University’s Danforth Campus in St. Louis. More than 100 people were arrested as police broke up the demonstration, but only Stein and one other individual faced criminal charges. Stein is charged with one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault.
[STOCK: courtroom hearing justice]
According to court filings, police accused Stein of grabbing a bicycle officer’s bike during the April 2024 protest and kicking another officer multiple times. The officer allegedly sustained a strain in his left forearm, a contusion in his right leg, and a groin injury. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith stated at the time of the charges in March 2025 that the misdemeanor charges reflected “our professional judgment that we have the evidence to prove these particular criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” while noting the charges were not a statement about the freedoms of speech or assembly.
The case has faced jurisdictional complications. It originated in St. Louis County Circuit Court but was transferred to St. Louis City Circuit Court after prosecutors discovered that the alleged assault occurred on the city side of the campus, which straddles the city-county line. St. Louis County prosecutors continue to handle the case despite the transfer.
[STOCK: university campus protest encampment]
Stein, 76, is a self-described “eco-socialist” who has run for president as the Green Party nominee three times—in 2012, 2016, and 2024. Her 2016 campaign drew criticism from Democrats, who argued it spoiled the election in favor of Donald Trump. More recently, Stein has gained support from the far left for her early and vocal opposition to Israel’s actions in the Gaza conflict.
The warrant was withdrawn later that same afternoon after Stein’s attorney appeared in court. Judge Johnson granted Welch’s motion to quash the warrant and set a new court date for September 14, 2026. The judge’s order states that all parties, including Stein, must appear in person and warns that “Warrant to issue if Defendant fails to appear.” The warrant will have no practical immediate effect on Stein so long as she remains outside Missouri.
A separate case against Jeron Hicks, the other individual charged at the April 2024 protest, appears to have been dismissed. Hicks’s attorney argued that Washington University campus police officers do not qualify as police officers under Missouri law, a position the university itself had advanced in other litigation. That case is no longer findable in public court filings.
Sources
- St. Louis Magazine — warrant issuance, Monday hearing details, judge’s statements, Stein’s background, case history
- KOLD News — warrant details, charges, April 2024 protest incident description, officer injuries, prosecutor statement
- St. Louis Magazine (June 2025 article) — background on charges, jurisdictional issues, Washington University protest details
