Court Cases

On July 3, 2023, the ACLU of Kansas filed an amicus brief in City of Wichita v. Gabrielle Griffie before the Kansas Supreme Court. The brief challenged the constitutionality of the reach and application of the City of Wichita's broad local city ordinance and a corresponding state statute -- both criminalize activity that is protected under the First Amendment.

The district court's reversal on reconsideration could effectively eliminate the ability of people who experience excessive use of force by federal officers to bring a Fourth Amendment claim -- and would undermine over a half century of constitutional standards deterring officer misconduct.

Long-term technological surveillance that allows the government to monitor and record who and what is entering a home invades a reasonable expectation of privacy.

On December 15, 2022, the ACLU of Kansas, UCLA Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union, and pro bono partner Cleary Gottlieb LLP filed a federal challenge to the at-large method of elections in Dodge City, Kansas, charging it unlawfully dilutes the voting power of Latine* residents.

If the death penalty is racist, arbitrary and serves no valid penological purpose, does it violate the Kansas constitution? The Sedgwick County District Court will grapple with this question at an unprecedented evidentiary hearing beginning on February 6, 2023.

On June 13, 2022, the ACLU of Kansas filed an amicus brief in State of Kansas v. Edwanda R. Garrett challenging the constitutionality of K.S.A. 21-6608(c)(7), which currently prolongs probation for “as long as the amount of restitution order has not been paid”. By ensuring that low- and no-income people are subjected to longer and harsher punishment than their wealthier counterparts for simply being unable to pay, the statute violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The ACLU of Kansas, along with partners, filed a class action suit on May 26, 2022 against the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), citing wait times as long as 13 months for competency evaluations and restoration treatment for people facing criminal charges.

On February 14, 2021, the ACLU of Kansas and partners filed suit in Wyandotte County District Court Monday, seeking to block the recently enacted congressional redistricting map. On May 18, 2022, the Supreme Court of Kansas ruled against the Plaintiffs, allowing the Ad Astra 2 map to take effect.

On April 22, 2021, the ACLU of Kansas and the ACLU Capital Punishment Project filed amicus briefs in State of Kansas v. Jonathan Carr and State of Kansas v. Reginald Carr challenging the constitutionality of Kansas’ death penalty.