News & Commentary

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.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the Kansas chapter of GLSEN also denounced the drafted legislation.

“Refusing consent to search is not a basis for a drug dog search,” she said. “It’s not a reason a cop can call for a drug dog.”

The ACLU of Kansas praised the state for taking steps to support the incarcerated who are elderly and infirm. But the organization emphasized that Kansas already has procedures in place, called “compassionate clemency,” to release inmates who would be housed in the proposed beds.

“This practice is unconstitutional on many levels.”