News & Commentary

In a letter addressed to Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez, the civil rights group highlighted concerns with officers’ handling of a peaceful protest on July 24. The ACLU was acting in support of local organizers who objected to the police tactics.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab must release the names of people who cast provisional ballots in the 2018 general election, including whether their votes were counted, a Kansas judge ruled, handing a victory to a group that wants to expand voting rights.

The top election official in Kansas violated the state’s open records law by refusing to release the names of people who cast provisional ballots or say whether their votes were counted, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

A civil rights group has launched “The Clemency Project” to try to secure the release of Kansas prisoners whose medical conditions make them vulnerable to the coronavirus.

A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that Kansas can’t require voters to show proof of citizenship when they register, dealing a blow to efforts by Republicans in several states who have pursued restrictive voting laws as a way of combating voter fraud.

The lawsuit argues that the inmates are housed in crowded conditions with limited access to adequate medical care. It also contended that releasing vulnerable inmates would allow proper social distancing and reduce the virus’ transmission among remaining prisoners.

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas asked the state’s supreme court to release prisoners with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes – risk factors that make them more vulnerable to Covid-19.

The American Civil Liberties Union expanded Tuesday a First Amendment lawsuit filed in federal court against a former Kansas Corporation Commission attorney to include the three current members and one former member of the state commission regulating the state’s energy and utility industries.

Lauren Bonds, legal director for ACLU of Kansas, said the findings confirm the organization’s motivation for filing a lawsuit on Oct. 26, 2018, days before the Nov. 6 election. The new polling location, Bonds said, was “incredibly inconvenient.”