Green Party Icon Hit With Arrest Warrant — Then Came the Twist

A Missouri judge issued an arrest warrant for three-time Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein after she failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing tied to charges from a chaotic 2024 campus protest.

Stein, 76, faces one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault stemming from an April 27, 2024, demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis. The protest began in Forest Park before moving onto the university’s Danforth Campus, where demonstrators entered the John M. Olin Library and began pitching tents.

Police repeatedly ordered the crowd to disperse. After a final warning, protesters locked arms and yelled “hold the line.” According to charging documents, Stein allegedly grabbed a bicycle being used by Officer Conroy. The bicycle then struck Officer Moore in the left forearm. As the bicycle was lifted, Stein allegedly kicked Moore several times in the right leg near the groin. Moore was later diagnosed with a strained left forearm, a bruise on the back of his right leg, and a groin injury.

Footage from Stein’s own X account showed police taking her into custody. Her campaign manager and deputy were among the scores of demonstrators arrested that day.

Stein and her attorney skipped the in-person appearance Monday morning, prompting the warrant. Later that same afternoon, her lawyer appeared and persuaded Judge Karma Johnson to quash it. The misdemeanor case was continued to September 14, when Stein and the other parties must appear in person.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith stressed that the charges concern alleged criminal conduct, not political views. “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,” she stated. “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.”

Stein served as the Green Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, 2016, and 2024. Her strongest showing came in 2016, when she received more than 1.4 million votes, or 1.07 percent of the national total. The latest court development keeps the long-running case alive and forces the veteran left-wing activist back into a Missouri courtroom this fall.