Judge orders St. Louis to temporarily pause guaranteed basic income program

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A Missouri Circuit Court judge ordered the City of St. Louis to temporarily halt its guaranteed basic income program until the resolution of a lawsuit regarding the program.

Judge Joseph P. Whyte, granted a temporary restraining order on the program that the city says is "effective way to combat the economic aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic."

The guaranteed basic income program originally provided 440 families who had enrolled into St. Louis Public Schools approximately $500 a month from a pool of ARPA funds that totaled $5 million, but the pool grew in October 2023, after Twitter founder Jack Dorsey added $1 million to the pool , and helping an additional 100 families.

Holy Joe Society, a non-profit, sued the city, arguing the program is unconstitutional because only a few hundred, randomly selected families were given the payments, not all eligible families.

As part of the order by Judge Whyte for the city to stop sending any deposits to financial institutions or payouts to families under the program, the judge also ordered the city to "reclaim any amounts not already expended, to be returned to the City of St. Louis."

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones released a statement after the decision.

"The City of St. Louis will follow the judge's order," said Mayor Jones. "We are exploring our legal options, and my administration continues to find every avenue possible to support the families of St. Louis City."