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The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that state Attorney General Andrew Bailey overstepped his authority when he tried to increase the projected cost of a ballot measure to restore abortion rights. The unanimous decision reaffirms a ruling by Cole County Judge Jon Beetem requiring Bailey, a Republican, to approve a series of identical fiscal notes filed by Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The estimates say that the ballot measure would have no cost to the state. (Bayless, 7/20)

The quick verdict, which was written by Judge Paul Wilson, was scathing in its assessment of Bailey’s refusal to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, concluding that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.” The ruling upheld Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem’s ruling last month ordering Bailey to sign off on Fitzpatrick’s fiscal summary within 24 hours. (Hancock, 7/20)

In other news —

On a recent Saturday morning at the Williams Park Summer Market in St. Petersburg, 50-year-old Elsie Gilmore politely approaches customers with a smile ... and a question. "Hey, have you guys signed the petition to get women's reproductive rights on the ballot in Florida?" Gilmore is one of thousands of volunteers collecting signatures for the constitutional amendment proposal. (Carter, 7/20)

The tone in an Austin courtroom Thursday transitioned from personal to academic Thursday as doctors took the stand to discuss the language and scope of Texas’ abortion ban. Testimonies from expert medical witnesses called by both sides in the hearing hinged on the definition and timing of “life-threatening” conditions that would qualify pregnant Texans for abortions. (Wolf and Kelly, 7/20)

As the implementation of Iowa's new "fetal heartbeat" bill loomed, staff at abortion clinics across the state scrambled to get as many patients seen as possible. Earlier in the week, Paige Bergholtz, a patient services navigator for Planned Parenthood North Central States, called patients to get as many appointments as possible scheduled before Friday, when Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the six-week abortion ban into law. (Ramm, 7/20)

In news on a legal case involving abortion in Nebraska —

A Nebraska teenager who used abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy was sentenced on Thursday to 90 days in jail after she pleaded guilty earlier this year to illegally concealing human remains. The teenager, Celeste Burgess, 19, and her mother, Jessica Burgess, 42, were charged last year after the police obtained their private Facebook messages, which showed them discussing plans to end the pregnancy and “burn the evidence.” (Levenson, 7/20)

Celeste Burgess, of Norfolk, was sentenced in Madison County after pleading guilty earlier this year to concealing or abandoning a dead body. Two other misdemeanor charges of false reporting and concealing the death of another person were dropped, in an agreement with prosecutors. “The Court specifically finds that while probation is appropriate, confinement is necessary because without this confinement, it would depreciate the seriousness of the crime or promote disrespect for the law,” the judge’s order read. (Beck, 7/20)

And the Defense Department responds to GOP pressure over abortions —

The Defense Department has no plans to stop covering the travel costs of female troops who seek abortions across state lines, despite protests from a Republican senator who has blocked hundreds of military promotions over the issue, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday. “I see this, and I think the (defense secretary) does as well, as taking care of our soldiers, and it’s the right thing to do, and I don’t think we’re going to change it,” Wormuth told NBC News’ Courtney Kube at an event at the Aspen Security Forum. (De Luce, 7/20)