Justices Won’t Review Case Involving Couple Who Waved Guns at Protesters

June 6, 2022 by Dan McCue
Justices Won’t Review Case Involving Couple Who Waved Guns at Protesters
Armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis, Mo. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court declined on Monday to take up a case brought by a Missouri couple who rose to public attention after they waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in June 2020.

Mark McCloskey, who is now a Republican Senate candidate, and his wife Patricia petitioned the high court to review a professional disciplinary action handed down against them by the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year.

In February, the court ruled that as a result of their actions in the face of the protest against racial injustice, the couple should have their law licenses suspended.

However, the court then stayed the suspension and put them each on probation for a year, warning them that if they broke any additional laws, the suspension would take effect immediately.

After the court’s decision was announced, McCloskey told the Associated Press he was disappointed by the ruling, but also happy the court chose to put the couple on probation, rather than suspend their licenses immediately.

He went on to say he never dreamed he and his wife would be accused of moral turpitude “for doing what we thought was right.”

“I think the reason why we were asked to be suspended had more to do with politics than anything else,” McCloskey said. “But we respect the court’s opinion, although we disagree … We will comply 100% with the orders.”

The couple then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a grant of certiorari.

As is their custom the justices did not explain their rationale for not taking up the case. There were no noted dissents that might have shed some light on their reasoning.

The McCloskeys made national headlines in 2020 when they brandished weapons in front of their home as Black Lives Matter protestors marched down their private street.

At the time, they said, they feared for their lives.

Mark McCloskey later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was ordered to pay a $750 fine. Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons pardoned them last year.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

A+
a-
  • Black Lives Matter
  • George Floyd
  • Mark McCLoskey
  • Patricia McCloskey
  • Supreme Court
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Supreme Court

    Supreme Court Takes Up Religious Rights Dispute Over LGBTQ Books in Maryland Schools

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over the religious rights of parents in Maryland to remove their... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over the religious rights of parents in Maryland to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters. The case is the latest dispute involving religion to come before the conservative-led court. The justices have... Read More

    April 21, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Skeptical of Overriding Preventive Medical Tests in Obamacare

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is trying to decide whether to keep an Affordable Care Act provision that requires insurers... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is trying to decide whether to keep an Affordable Care Act provision that requires insurers to offer no-cost preventive care tests. The court heard arguments Monday on whether the procedure for deciding which tests can be included under the national insurance... Read More

    Supreme Court Says Trump Administration Must Work to Bring Back Mistakenly Deported Maryland Man

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency appeal. The court acted in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who had... Read More

    Supreme Court Takes Up $8B Phone and Internet Subsidy

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a major legal fight over the $8 billion a year the federal... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a major legal fight over the $8 billion a year the federal government spends to subsidize phone and internet services in schools, libraries and rural areas, in a new test of federal regulatory power. The justices are reviewing an appellate ruling that... Read More

    March 24, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Rejects Children’s Lawsuit Seeking Injunction Against Climate Change

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to revive a lawsuit on behalf of children who said U.S.... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to revive a lawsuit on behalf of children who said U.S. energy policies that exacerbate climate change are damaging their futures. They said unrestrained climate change jeopardized their life, liberty, personal security and health. The 9th Circuit... Read More

    March 21, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Set to Hear Two Major Cases Next Week

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to hear two of the major cases in its current term next week;... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to hear two of the major cases in its current term next week; one that will take a closer look at racial gerrymandering in Louisiana, the other considering federal court jurisdiction over Clean Air Act cases. The first hearing,... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top