News & Commentary

On Tuesday, Madison Albers, a student at Fort Hays State and co-chair of the American Democracy Project, along with others involved in the polling place effort, delivered 480 signatures in support of the change to Ellis County Clerk Bobbi Dreiling.

The judgment stems from a 2019 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the KHP over its “two-step” approach. That’s where troopers pull someone over, and then seek to reengage the driver after the stop to develop reasonable suspicion to search their vehicle.

A U.S. District Court judge ordered the Kansas Highway Patrol to pay $2.34 million in attorney fees and other costs following a successful challenge to constitutionality of the state law enforcement agency’s practice of detaining motorists and searching vehicles.

“We cannot overstate the harm this bill will cause to some of our most vulnerable Kansas children and their families,” D.C. Hiegert, LGBTQ+ fellow of the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement after the veto.

"In addition to depriving parents and families of medical freedom, this bill actually punishes teachers, doctors, nurses, and more for just doing their jobs by respecting and supporting Kansas kids, including transgender kids," said the ACLU of Kansas in a statement asking Kelly to veto the bill.

"This bill attacks parents' rights to access life-saving healthcare for their kids and threatens Kansas medical providers. And it is written so broadly, it could impact spaces like schools, therapist offices, or state agencies like the Kansas Department of Children and Families," said D.C. Hiegert.

The color of someone’s clothes, the events they attend, and the people they hang out with can no longer be reasons to add them to the Wichita Police Department’s “gang list.” On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council approved a settlement that changes criteria, adding oversight to the list.

“Senate Bill 394 absolutely does not give license to any state actors to broadly censor LGBTQ+ expression,” Micah Kubic—the executive director of the ACLU of Kansas—told The Pitch in their emailed remarks.

The Wichita City Council voted 7-0 to approve a $625,000 settlement over the police department’s gang list. The ACLU, Kansas Appleseed, and Progeny claim the list unconstitutionally targets people of color.