(CN) - A Missouri judge has cleared the path for a constitutional amendment banning public money from going to abortion and human cloning to appear on the 2010 ballot.
Supporters of the proposal challenged the secretary of state's ballot summary as biased, while critics objected to the state auditor's cost estimate. Opponents said the original petition was not properly drafted and shouldn't have been allowed to proceed.
Dismissing those arguments, Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce approved both the ballot summary and cost estimate.
She also dismissed conspiracy allegations against three state officials, brought by the Missouri Roundtable for Life, which proposed the constitutional amendment earlier this year.
The judge wrote that the group's claims "are without merit, and rise to the level of being frivolous."
The Missouri Roundtable had accused Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Attorney General Chris Koster and State Auditor Susan Montee of working behind the scenes to improperly influence the process.
Barring appeal, supporters can now start collecting signatures to get the measure on the 2010 ballot.
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