Missouri Governor Vetoes Anti-Foreign Law Bill

As reported by AP, yesterday Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed (full text of veto message) S.B. No 267, the Civil Liberties Defense Act, which provided that any ruling by a court or tribunal will be void and unenforceable if it is based on any foreign law, legal code or system that is repugnant or inconsistent with the Missouri or U.S. constitutions. Bills such as this one are the outgrowth of earlier versions that were more explicitly directed at barring the application of Sharia law.  In vetoing the bill, the governor in part emphasized the problems that it would create with foreign adoptions by Missouri parents. Explaining his veto during a visit to a children's services agency, Nixon said:

This legislation seeks to solve a problem that does not exist, while creating the very real problem of jeopardizing Missouri's families' ability to adopt children from foreign countries.