Taking advantage of a law that allows him to assign any case to any member of the state bar, Missouri’s chief public defender, Michael Barrett, appointed Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (a fiscally conservative Democrat finishing his second term) as the defense attorney of a poor client this week, citing the governor’s refusal to provide his office with the resources it needs.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon delivered a brief statement calling for peace ahead of the Ferguson grand jury decision, outlining the state's planned response to potential protests.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri Monday afternoon, just days before a grand jury is expected to reach a decision about whether to indict Darren Wilson, the St. Louis County police officer who killed Michael Brown in August. The declaration, which is good for 30 days, also activates the National Guard in Missouri.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon was not up for reelection last night, but he wanted to be sure everyone went out and participated in the democratic process. So he tweeted a picture of himself voting along with a reminder: Make your voice heard!

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has called for a "systematic" recalling of the state's National Guard from policing protests in Ferguson. The order follows a night of relative peace in the St. Louis suburb, where tensions remain high, but violence appears to be diminishing.

After ordering the deployment of the state's National Guard to Ferguson, Mo. this morning, Governor Jay Nixon has also announced a reprieve from the midnight curfew he imposed for the town over the weekend.

After "deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent acts" in Ferguson, Mo. Sunday night, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has deployed the state's National Guard to the town, which has been embroiled in protests following the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson.

One person has been critically injured and seven people have been arrested in Ferguson following violent protests sparked by the midnight curfew.

In a press conference today, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that he signed an order declaring a state of emergency and implementing a curfew in Ferguson.

A student wearing a bullet-proof vest cut the throat of a dean at Kansas City's Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley today, before a press conference where Missouri's governor was expected to speak only minutes later. The dean is still alive.