Wednesday marked the fourth day of the Lyft hearing in downtown St. Louis. The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission (MTC) sees the ride-sharing app as a taxi service, and wants Lyft to comply with existing regulations. But Lyft says it is a “friend with a car,” not a taxi. Who has the stronger legal argument?
Meanwhile, St. Louis cabbie Umar Lee wrote an op-ed in the Huffington Post bringing up questions of race, class and social justice. And Mayor Francis Slay is working with Lyft’s rival Uber to make changes to MTC regulations and wants Lyft to enter dialogue as well.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court put a stay on Missouri’s execution of Russell Bucklew pending a review of the case by the full court. News agencies have also entered legal battles over Missouri executions. Two separate lawsuits were recently filed against the state of Missouri challenging the state’s policy of not disclosing the name of the pharmacy that provides the drugs the state uses to carry out executions. St. Louis Public Radio’s Chris McDaniel is a plaintiff in the second suit.
Jurors sided with Anheuser-Busch in a discrimination suit filed by Francine Katz last week. Will she appeal the verdict? And if so, how strong is her case?
In our monthly legal roundtable, host Don Marsh talked with a panel of legal experts to explain these issues and more.
The panelists included:
- Barbara Seely, J.D., Regional Attorney, St. Louis District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- William Freivogel, J.D., Director, School of Journalism; Associate Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
- Mark Smith, J.D., Associate Vice Chancellor and Director, The Career Center, Washington University
Other topics included:
- U.S. Supreme Court’s latest rulings on affirmative action, public prayer and cell phone searches
- Whether Donald Sterling has a legal argument to fight the NBA
- NPR’s special series “Guilty and Charged”
St. Louis on the Air provides discussion about issues and concerns facing the St. Louis area. The show is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and hosted by veteran journalist Don Marsh.
