ST. LOUIS—A federal judge has given the city of St. Louis and Aldermanic Board president Megan Green until Monday to amend a lawsuit filed this week over a new law that puts St. Louis police under control of a state-appointed board.

The lawsuit cites questions over two parts of House Bill 495. One part is the allegation that the bill violates the state’s Hancock Amendment because it creates an unfunded mandate by requiring the city to spend a certain amount of its overall budget on policing. The other claim is that the bill violates Green’s free speech rights by threatening fines and prohibitions on serving in public office for taking "any action that could be found to "in any manner impede, obstruct, hinder, or interfere" with the State Board."

But in a Wednesday filing, U.S. District Court judge Matthew T. Schelp said “dismissal seems inevitable here” unless plaintiffs can prove why the federal court is the proper jurisdiction to hear the case.

“No later than Monday, April 21, 2025, Plaintiffs must show cause why this action should not be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction or shall exercise their right to file an amended complaint addressing the jurisdictional issues raised herein. Failure to do so will result in the dismissal of this action without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” Schlep wrote.

Mayor Cara Spencer, who favors local control, said late Wednesday that her administration is “continuing to evaluate both the merit and potential impact” of the lawsuit.

But Spencer is cautioning that the suit has been “mistakenly described as directly challenging the state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department – which it does not do,” she said in a statement to Spectrum News.

Green agrees the suit itself would not overturn state control.

“It would address sections of the law that, left unchecked, set a dangerous precedent,” she said in a statement initially released earlier this week.

Green said Thursday that those provisions needed to be challenged before other litigation could follow.

A Spencer spokesperson said the city wouldn't comment further on pending litigation Thursday afternoon. Green's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said earlier this week that the office looks forward to defending the statute. “Rather than waste taxpayer funds in an attempt to defund the police, we would encourage city leaders to focus their efforts on building a safer St. Louis,” the office said in a statement.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Under the law, Kehoe has until April 25 to name a transition director and late June to appoint five members who will join Spencer on the board and will require state senate approval. One of the appointees will not have voting rights.