Jamilah Nasheed

Updated 4:34 p.m. with comments from Rep. Sylvester Taylor. 

Usually, the residency requirement for political candidates is just another box to check, but two cases involving St. Louis-area office-seekers have not been so clearly defined - until today.

The Missouri Supreme Court is being asked to decide who qualifies to run for the state Legislature when boundaries are changed during redistricting.

Democratic House members Rochelle Walton Gray and Sylvester Taylor each filed to run in the 75th House District in St. Louis County. That district was redrawn last year and includes pieces of both lawmakers' current House districts. Gray lives in the new 75th District, and Taylor does not.

Whether Mo. House member Jamilah Nasheed will qualify to be on the Democratic primary ballot against incumbent Sen. Robin Wright-Jones in the 5th Senate District is now up to the Missouri Supreme Court.

The Missouri Court of Appeal's Eastern District said in a ruling Wednesday that Nasheed does not appear to meet the residency requirement for running in the 5th District. But the court transferred the case to the state Supreme Court because of the importance and general interest of the issue.

Updated 4:32 p.m. with statement from Nasheed.

Mo. State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed announced her run against incumbent State Sen. Robin Wright-Jones in January - but now it seems Nasheed may be leaving the ticket, at a judge's orders.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would cap the size of the state’s budget has passed a Missouri House committee.

The measure would prevent lawmakers from increasing state spending more than the rate of inflation. They would also have to take population growth into account when writing the state budget.  It’s sponsored by State Representative Eric Burlison (R, Springfield).