High court declines to hear appeal from Missouri couple who pointed guns at protesters outside their mansion
Despite a 6-to-3 majority of conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court, fewer than four justices wanted to hear the McCloskeys' case.
The married couple who pointed guns at protesters outside their mansion in the suburbs of St. Louis during the summer of 2020 will not have their case heard by the United States Supreme Court.
In their argument to the high court, Mark and Patricia McCloskey complained that their Second Amendment rights were violated, Yahoo News reported Monday. But they were denied cert, which means that fewer than four justices wanted to hear the McCloskeys’ case, despite a 6-to-3 majority of conservatives on the Supreme Court. These conservative justices include three appointed by former President Donald Trump, who had praised the pair after the weapons-waving incident.
The McCloskeys petitioned the court to end the probationary period associated with the suspension of their law licenses, a penalty instituted by the Missouri Supreme Court in February.
In late June 2020, the couple, who are both attorneys, pointed their weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters walking past their mansion toward that of Lyda Krewson, who was mayor of St. Louis at the time. The image of the two standing outside of their stately St. Louis home — Mark holding an AR-style rifle and Patricia holding a handgun — became a lasting image during a season of racial justice protests in the wake of May 2020’s police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Trump had applauded the McCloskeys after the 2020 incident, saying: “They were defending their property and if they had not done what they did, their property would have been completely destroyed and they would have been badly beaten, or dead — great going Mike!”
In June 2021, the couple pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges and turned in their guns, however, they were also pardoned by Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson. The state’s chief disciplinary counsel pushed for the suspension of their law licenses, but they were instead placed on a yearlong probation by the Missouri Supreme Court. Allowed to still practice law, the two were ordered to do 100 hours of pro bono legal services.
To avoid the suspension of their law licenses, both must complete the probation.
The couple have maintained that their home was under threat by the protesters. Outside of a Missouri courthouse in 2021, Mark McCloskey said, “I’d do it again,” adding, “Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family.”
He has since attempted to translate his viral infamy into conservative activism by becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Per Yahoo News, he’s currently polling in fourth place in Missouri.
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