The former Green Party presidential nominee missed a required St. Louis court appearance in a misdemeanor case stemming from a 2024 campus protest.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A St. Louis judge issued a failure-to-appear arrest warrant for former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein after she missed a court hearing, then quashed the warrant hours later when her attorney appeared before the court.
The Aug. 17 warrant was tied to an unresolved misdemeanor case stemming from Stein’s April 2024 arrest during a pro-Palestinian protest at Washington University in St. Louis. Associate Circuit Judge Karma Johnson ordered the warrant after Stein and defense attorney Joseph Welch failed to attend a 9 a.m. hearing that required the parties and their lawyers to appear in person. Prosecutors were present and told the court they were not requesting a warrant, according to reporting based on the court record. The warrant was no longer active by the end of the day.
Welch appeared in Johnson’s courtroom later Monday and asked the judge to quash the warrant. Johnson granted the request and continued the case until Sept. 14. The new order requires Stein and the other parties to appear in person and warns that another warrant is to be issued if Stein fails to appear. Stein later described the missed appearance as a scheduling mix-up and criticized the attention surrounding the brief warrant.
Stein, 76, faces one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault. Both are misdemeanor charges filed in March 2025 over events at Washington University’s Danforth Campus on April 27, 2024. The charges remain allegations, and no finding of guilt has been entered against Stein.
According to charging documents cited by St. Louis news organizations, protesters entered the campus after beginning a march in nearby Forest Park. University officials issued several warnings for demonstrators to leave as some protesters established tents. Court records say a final warning was given shortly before 7:45 p.m., after which police began making arrests. Washington University later said 100 people were arrested, including 23 students and four university employees. Stein, who was seeking the Green Party presidential nomination at the time, was among those taken into custody.
The criminal complaint alleges that a Washington University officer approached Stein with a bicycle as police moved to make arrests. Prosecutors allege Stein grabbed the bicycle, which then struck another officer in the forearm, and that she kicked the second officer in the leg during the encounter. Court documents say the officer was later diagnosed with injuries to his arm and leg. Stein’s pending assault charge is based on those allegations, which have not been proven at trial.
When the charges were announced in 2025, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said the decision to prosecute was based on the office’s assessment of the alleged conduct and was not intended as a judgment on free speech, assembly rights or the subject of the Gaza protest. Prosecutors said their office had received 19 applications for charges connected to arrests at the demonstration, with Stein among the small number of people who ultimately faced county-level criminal charges.
The case later encountered a jurisdictional dispute because Washington University’s Danforth Campus crosses the boundary between St. Louis and St. Louis County. County prosecutors reviewed maps and evidence and concluded the alleged encounter involving Stein occurred on the city side of campus. The case was subsequently moved to the St. Louis city court system while prosecutors continued pursuing the misdemeanor charges.
The April 2024 demonstration was part of a broader wave of campus protests over the war in Gaza. Washington University’s own later review said the demonstration grew to roughly 300 people and followed earlier protests on campus that month. Stein and members of her campaign supported the protesters’ demands and criticized the university’s response, while university officials said demonstrators had violated campus rules and repeatedly refused orders to leave.
Stein was the Green Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, 2016 and 2024. The latest court dispute does not represent a new criminal charge against her; it arose from her failure to attend a hearing in the existing misdemeanor case. As of Aug. 21, the Aug. 17 arrest warrant had been quashed, and Stein’s next confirmed court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 14 in St. Louis.
Author note: Last updated August 21, 2026.