News & Commentary

“This case really goes to the heart of how American representation should work,” plaintiff’s attorney Jonathan Blackman said in his closing argument. “We’re talking about protecting the right and ability of minority voters to vote for their chosen candidate.”

In the latest installment of I Watch This Stuff So You Don’t Have To: Today, we’re looking at Thursday’s informational hearing on a bill pending in the Kansas Legislature that seeks to ban gender-affirming medical and psychological care for minors, and punish those who provide it.

D.C. Hiegert, an attorney at the ACLU of Kansas, said the proposals were among the largest and most harmful anti-trans bills that had ever been introduced in Kansas.

Recently, the Kansas Legislature introduced House Bill 2568, which would end the practice of assessing fees and fines to people moving through the state’s juvenile justice system. As I know firsthand, this is a reform that could prevent the cycle of poverty and incarceration that traps many youth.

The suit was filed to demonstrate the at-large approach to city commission elections allowing all Dodge City residents to vote for all five commission seats, as opposed to a district form of representation, distorted outcomes so no “Latine-preferred candidate” had been elected since 2000.

As a formerly incarcerated individual who successfully navigated the justice system, I understand firsthand the importance of restoring voting rights to citizens returning to public life.

Rashane Hamby, director of policy and research at the ACLU of Kansas, said Kansas’ current forfeiture law has placed an undue burden on claimants and has disproportionately impacted those who don’t have the resources to hire attorneys.

“Democracy is not a partisan matter. It’s the very foundation that ensures each Kansas voter can have a voice in the laws and policies affecting their lives,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of ACLU of Kansas.

The bill’s narrow definition of “elective abortion,” which would exclude considerations of mental health for the pregnant woman, exemplified attempts to curtail women’s autonomy, reproductive freedoms and civil liberties, said Rashane Hamby, director of policy and research at ACLU of Kansas.