News & Commentary

News Coverage

2016 ACLU Legislative Priorities

Floyd Bledsoe saw his first New Year's Day as a free man this year after spending 16 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. In 2000 he was sentenced to life in prison by a Kansas court for the murder of his 14-year-old sister-in-law. His conviction was based on a web of lies, failure to utilize available DNA testing, and alleged prosecutorial and police misconduct.

We're now located at:6701 W 64th St., Suite 210 Overland Park, KS 66202913-490-4100

Months after being granted the unprecedented power of prosecuting "voting crime" in Kansas, Secretary of State Kris Kobach has found 3 cases to pursue, despite prosecutors in both counties having already decided not to prosecute. Kobach is charging Lincoln L. Wilson in Sherman County with a felony for double voting, and Betty and Steven Gaedtke with misdemeanors for unlawful voting and advance voting unlawfully.Executive Director Micah Kubic said Kobach has been “particularly zealous about trying to find something to justify this new law that he got passed, so I’d be really concerned about the merits of the individual cases.” Read the rest of the story in The Wichita Eagle here.

The ACLU of Kansas is lucky to have thousands of dedicated supporters across the state of Kansas. We call on you to be watchdogs in your communities, advocates for justice, and defenders of civil liberties. We ask a lot from our supporters, and we are never disappointed. We know what you do for civil liberties and civil rights, now we want to know what motivates you to take a stand for freedom.

Doug Bonney, Legal Director of ACLUKS testifies on Wednesday, September 2nd at the State Capitol against K.A.R. 7-23-15, which would impose a 90 day period during which voter registration applicants would be required to complete all of the voter registration requirements under Kansas law. K.A.R. 7-23-15(b).Read his testimony and news coverage on the hearing below.

In the Kansas City Star on August 30th, Kris Kobach proposes throwing out over 30,000 incomplete voter registration applicants due to failure to provide the "proof of citizenship" documents now-required by the Secretary of State's office. The ACLU of Kansas weighed in below."Doug Bonney, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said election officials have long kept incomplete applications “in suspense,” prior to the new proof-of-citizenship requirements, and there was never a need to clear the records.So why should there be a time limit now that it’s more difficult to register? he asked.“I don’t see any reason to limit it,” Bonney said, “except that with 30,000 now on the list, it’s gotten to be an embarrassment for Kobach.”

When was the last time you threw a house party?  If you’ve ever wanted to get more involved in the work of the ACLU, now is the time – And what better way to get active than to throw a party? It’s simple, you bring the people, we’ll bring the information, and together we’ll discuss how to best protect our civil liberties. We know recent events in Kansas have a lot of people worried about the future of our rights, so we want to make sure EVERYONE has the chance to stay up to date on the current state of civil liberties and the work of the ACLU.  To make this possible, we’re giving ALL of our supporters the opportunity to host an ACLU house party!Just invite 10 of your friends, neighbors, colleagues or family members who are also passionate about strengthening civil liberties in Kansas, and we’ll send a member of the ACLU staff to answer questions, address concerns and discuss the future of civil liberties in Kansas. This is a perfect opportunity to get budding civil liberties advocates, ACLU members, community leaders and activists together for a meaningful discussion. You don’t have to be in the state capitol or in the courthouse to be part of the work of the ACLU of Kansas. With vigilant supporters like you working together to keep a watchful eye on your communities, we can make sure that our rights are protected and strengthened!If you’re interested in being a house party sponsor, contact Micah Kubic and we’ll help you start planning!