News & Commentary

The ACLU of Kansas believes the state could address these socially destabilizing and anti-democratic disparities by eliminating cash bail for non-violent offenses. Pretrial incarceration caused by unaffordable bail remains one of the greatest drivers of convictions.

A federal lawsuit against Dodge City that claims unfair voting systems create a barrier for Latine candidates in the city is set to move forward. The ACLU of Kansas recently announced that the case will now go to trial on Feb. 24, 2024, in Wichita.

Experts who study representation have found that at-large election systems have frequently diluted the minority vote intowns and cities with significant non-White populations across the country. Shifting to what are known as “single-member districts,” can help, they say.

“Because of the court’s ruling, hundreds of people on the waitlist for Larned will continue to languish for indeterminate months in our county jails, under conditions that exacerbate rather than treat mental illness,” said Sharon Brett, Legal Director of the ACLU of Kansas

Girard School District Board of Education members voted unanimously during a Thursday night meeting to remove a district dress code policy. The change comes after national attention to the story and legal warnings from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.

A pair of residents in Dodge City, Kansas, first sued the city a year ago, alleging the current at-large election method used to elect city commissioners denies Dodge City's Latino residents an equal opportunity to participate in the municipal political process.

In 2022, the ACLU of Kansas filed a lawsuit against the state over delays in mental health evaluations at Larned. People who face criminal charges have had to wait behind bars for as long as 13 months before getting a pretrial competency evaluation, according to the lawsuit.

A leading Kansas civil rights organization says an estimated 30,000 people living in the state should be informed they have the right to vote. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas launched a campaign to reach out to Kansans with felony records and encourage them to register to vote.

The ACLU of Kansas says that around 30,000 Kansans who have completed their sentences for felony convictions are unaware that they have the right to vote. To that end, a new effort has been launched to inform them of their restored voting rights, recruit volunteers and to get more voters to vote.