News & Commentary

Two trans men from Lawrence filed a lawsuit challenging the law and are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. But Douglas County District Judge James McCabria declined to halt enforcement of the law, saying he believes Kansans to be tolerant and supportive of each other.

Two transgender men using the pseudonyms Daniel Doe and Matthew Moe filed a lawsuit saying SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process and freedom of speech, according to a news release from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union , argue it violates due process by depriving transgender individuals of driving privileges—essential for daily life, employment, and safety—without a hearing. On February 27, 2026, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two transgender plaintiffs, seeking to block enforcement and alleging "irreparable harm."

Of course, the ACLU filed a lawsuit immediately upon the passage. There was a hearing regarding a temporary restraining order while the bill is going through the litigation process.

Harper Seldin, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) representing the plaintiffs said that Kansas was singling out trans residents “for unique social stigma”.

An ACLU attorney told Salon that a new law places trans Kansans in an "impossible position"

A Douglas County District Court judge ruled that the law may be enforced during an ongoing lawsuit by transgender Kansans and the ACLU.

“SB 244 is a cruel and craven threat to public safety all in the name of fostering fear, division, and paranoia,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police. Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

Harper Seldin, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Rights Project, stated, “The harm of this law has already had sweeping impacts on the lives of transgender people like our clients, threatening their ability to hold a job, go to school, or go about their daily lives. We all deserve the freedom to be ourselves without politicians interfering in our lives, and we will keep fighting SB 244 until it is erased from state law entirely.”