A Missouri judge has upheld a ballot summary for an initiative that would grant St. Louis local control over its police force.
The St. Louis police department currently is overseen by a board consisting of the mayor and four appointees of the governor.
Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce ruled Thursday that the summary prepared by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office fairly and impartially describes the measure, which supporters are trying to get on the November ballot.
A lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union had claimed the summary was inadequate because it fails to mention the measure could exempt St. Louis police from certain open-records requirements. But Joyce said the desire to have different information in the summary does not mean the official description is unfair or inadequate.
