News & Commentary

Constant testing did nothing to reduce COVID transmission, but it was very effective at reducing everything else. From a few weeks into the pandemic through the end of 2022, each time one of us tested positive, staff would pack us off to the quarantine unit. We’d be locked in there with a bunch of other people who’d also tested positive, until we tested negative. No TV. No radio. No books. We had the option of making one 20-minute phone call each day, during the same 20-minute window when we had the option of taking a shower. 

When a mundane traffic stop was nearing its end, a state trooper would turn to leave. But after a couple of paces toward the squad car, the trooper would whirl around and go back to the window of the pulled-over driver, hoping to strike up a conversation and find enough reason to scour the car.

“This is a huge win — for our clients and for anyone else who travels on Kansas highways. We are gratified that the Court saw the ongoing harms of KHP’s unconstitutional practices and stepped in to stop the department’s widespread misconduct,” said Sharon Brett, Legal Director of the ACLU of Kansas.

Kansas trooper Brandon McMillan pulled Bosire over for driving seven miles per hour over the speed limit, according to court documents. What happened next is an example of a policing practice known as the Kansas “two step,” a tactic that a judge ruled unconstitutional this week.

The Kansas Highway Patrol has been ordered to stop its infamous “two-step” technique by a federal judge, in what the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas calls a “huge win” for all motorists using state highways.

This is a tough thread to write. Federal public defense is facing devastating budget cuts for FY 2024, following House and Senate appropriation marks. If unchanged, we will be seriously underfunded. Nationally, this could mean losing 10 to 12% of on-board staff. 1/10

The ACLU has argued that, in practice, the "Kansas Two-Step" has been part of an abuse of traffic stops targeting out-of-state motorists, notably those from Colorado, where recreational marijuana was legalized in 2012.

The ACLU of Kansas has argued that, in practice, this has been part of an abuse of traffic stops targeting out-of-state motorists, notably those from Colorado, where recreational marijuana was legalized in 2012.

The ACLU of Kansas has sued Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Herman Jones on behalf of motorists over the “two step” and are seeking a court order blocking the agency from using it.