The former Green Party presidential candidate missed a court appearance in a case stemming from her 2024 arrest at Washington University.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A St. Louis judge withdrew an arrest warrant for former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein hours after issuing it when Stein and her attorney failed to appear for a hearing in a misdemeanor case stemming from a 2024 campus protest.
Associate Circuit Judge Karma Johnson issued the failure-to-appear warrant Monday after Stein and defense attorney Joseph Welch did not attend a morning hearing in person. Later that day, Welch appeared before the court and successfully asked Johnson to quash the warrant. The case was continued until Sept. 14, when Stein and the other parties are expected to appear in person.
The brief warrant dispute is the latest development in a case dating to an April 27, 2024, protest at Washington University in St. Louis. Stein was arrested during the demonstration, which was part of nationwide campus protests over the war in Gaza. She later faced misdemeanor allegations of assault and trespassing connected to the encounter with police.
St. Louis Magazine reported that the Monday hearing had been scheduled for 9 a.m. and that a court filing required all attorneys and parties, including Stein, to attend in person. Prosecutors appeared, but Stein and Welch did not. The magazine reported that prosecutors told Johnson they were not requesting an arrest warrant, but the judge initially decided to issue one because of Stein’s absence.
The circumstances changed later Monday when Welch appeared in Johnson’s courtroom. The judge granted his request to withdraw the warrant and continued the case until Sept. 14. The court order states that Stein must appear at the next proceeding and that a warrant could be issued if she does not appear, according to the local report.
First Alert 4, the St. Louis television station whose reporting was carried by Arizona’s Family, also updated its account to say the warrant had been recalled. The Arizona’s Family article initially reported that a warrant had been issued after Stein failed to appear, reflecting the status of the case earlier Monday before the later court action.
The criminal case arose from Stein’s arrest during the Washington University protest. Contemporary reporting said police accused Stein of interfering with officers as authorities moved to clear the demonstration. Stein has disputed the way police handled the protest. The misdemeanor allegations remain pending, and the charges have not been proven in court.
Stein, a physician and longtime political activist, was the Green Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, 2016 and 2024. At the time of the 2024 arrest, she was campaigning for the party’s presidential nomination and was in Missouri during her ballot-access effort. Her arrest drew national attention because of both her candidacy and the wider wave of campus demonstrations occurring around the country.
After the warrant was withdrawn, Stein described the missed appearance as a scheduling mix-up and criticized the attention given to the warrant. The court case itself remains unresolved. No finding of guilt has been entered on the misdemeanor allegations, and the next confirmed court date is Sept. 14.
Author note: Last updated August 19, 2026.