JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down a law that had cut the duration of the state’s unemployment benefits to one of the shortest periods in the nation.

Since January, jobless workers have been limited to 13 weeks of benefits as a result of a measure that linked the duration to the state’s unemployment rate.

In a 4-3 ruling Tuesday, the court said the law never should have taken effect because of the way in which it was passed by the Republican-led Legislature. The result is that Missouri’s jobless benefits will return to a maximum of 20 weeks.

The court said the Senate needed to vote to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the bill before the regular session ended in May 2015, instead of voting in September.