A Missouri judge issued an arrest warrant for Jill Stein after the three-time presidential candidate failed to appear for a scheduled court date.
Stein, 76, had been ordered to appear Monday before St. Louis Associate Circuit Judge Karma Johnson on charges stemming from her April 27, 2024 arrest at Washington University in St. Louis. The Green Party nominee in 2012, 2016 and 2024 faced one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault following her apprehension during an anti-Israel protest on the school’s Danforth Campus.
Protesters marched to the campus that day and erected tents inside the John M. Olin Library, according to officials. Law enforcement warned demonstrators later that night they would be arrested for trespassing, but the group chose to lock arms and yelled “hold the line” as officers moved in, charging documents stated.
Stein allegedly grabbed an approaching officer’s bicycle, which then struck another officer, identified only as Officer Moore, in the forearm. While Moore was holding the bike in the air, Stein allegedly kicked him multiple times in the right leg, near his groin. Moore was later diagnosed with a forearm strain, a contusion on the back of his right leg, and a groin injury.
Footage posted to Stein’s X account at the time showed police detaining and escorting her from the protest. Her campaign manager, Jason Call, and Call’s deputy, Kelly Merrill-Caye, were also among dozens arrested that day.
In her Monday order, Judge Johnson confirmed Stein and her attorney had failed to appear as required and issued a warrant for the defendant’s arrest.
“I want to make it clear that these misdemeanor criminal charges are not a statement about the freedoms of speech or assembly, which we honor and uphold as part of our Constitution,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith stated after charges were filed against Stein last year.
“They are not a statement about the subject of the protest, which was the situation in Gaza. These charges merely reflect our professional judgment that we have the evidence to prove these particular criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” she continued.
In the viral moment that sparked the case, Stein was among more than 100 people arrested as police broke up the demonstration at the private university. The protest was part of a wave of campus activism across the United States against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with students demanding their universities divest from companies with ties to Israel. The April 2024 arrests at Washington University drew national attention in part because of Stein’s presence as a then-active presidential candidate seeking the Green Party’s 2024 nomination, which she would go on to secure for the third time.
Stein’s best performance in her three presidential runs came in 2016, when she received more than 1.4 million votes, 1.07% of the national total. She also ran in 2012 and mounted her most recent campaign in 2024.
Reps for Stein did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the warrant.