News & Commentary

The ACLU of Kansas announced on Thursday, Oct. 31, that a new report has found that nearly 85,000 Kansans - 1 in 35 - are eligible to vote despite past felony convictions. these individuals have completed sentences, including probation or parole, and are eligible to register to vote under state law.

Medical marijuana advocates from across the Sunflower State have called on legislators to consider a comprehensive new policy this upcoming legislative session.

A man charged with murdering two Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputies is trying to overturn Kansas’ death penalty with the aid of the ACLU, arguing the process for seating capital juries unconstitutionally discriminates against women and Black residents.

“On its inception, our clients were interested in pursuing a change in policy. They were not in it for the money, and so damages claims were never a part of the case,” said Kunyu Ching, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Kansas, in a conversation for the Kansas Reflector podcast.

Kansas has long had an ambivalent relationship with capital punishment. Three decades after the state passed its current death penalty law, its new execution chamber remains unused.

The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit in 2021 stating the police department violated federal rights by incorrectly including people on the gang list as gang members or associates based on vague and overbroad criteria.

“I also think that in general there is a heavy potential here for discrimination against protected classes or demographics,” ACLU of Kansas Staff Attorney Kunyu Ching said. “I think it’s common knowledge these sorts of algorithms can produce bias, including racial bias.

“It’s an opportunity for people to tell their own stories, explain to the court their experiences of being on the gang list and how deeply it’s affected them,” said Kunyu Ching, staff attorney at Kansas ACLU.

Groups like the ACLU have opposed the installation of automatic license plate readers for their ability to capture photographs of thousands of license plates per minute, citing a lack of rules surrounding the technology, ittle or no oversight and not enough protections for the privacy of drivers.