Eighth Circuit lifts injunction on Missouri’s SNAP implementation

The Eighth Circuit tossed out a lower court's injunction and part of a summary judgment that had favored Missourians who said the state's SNAP vetting process illegally cut them off from food benefits over missed interviews and phone-line failures.

The appeals panel, led by a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that Congress never intended to create an individually enforceable right under the SNAP Act, so the plaintiffs cannot sue under it directly, though their due process and ADA claims survived. The court also found the original injunction, which ordered statewide fixes to call wait times and interview scheduling, too sweeping for a case brought by just a few plaintiffs and one advocacy group.

The case now heads back to the district court, with the advocacy group Empower Missouri finding its own diverted resources don't count as a legal injury either.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.