News & Commentary

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!

During Summer 2015, the ACLU of Kansas is on a statewide tour talking about civil liberties in Kansas today. The tour is called Where Freedom Stands: Civil Liberties in Kansas Today.Recently, Executive Director Micah Kubic went to Hays, KS and was welcomed into an ACLU's member home to speak on the state of civil liberties in Kansas today.“We exist to defend constitutional rights and to protect and strengthen those rights,” he said. “Kansas is on the front line of every single civil liberties battle raging in the U.S.“We have our work cut out for us on all of those issues. But the good news is that we are being pretty successful on all of those issues given a political environment that is not always entirely friendly. Things are going very well. But the fight for our rights is a grinding daily struggle, and nowhere in the country is that more true than right here in Kansas.”Read the entire article at the Hays Daily News from June 20, 2015. 

In the fall of 2013, the University of Kansas expelled Navid Yeasin for bad conduct that took place off-campus during the summer of 2013.  As part of the grounds for expulsion, KU considered tweets Yeasin had posted about his ex-girlfriend.  KU also ordered Yeasin not to post anything on social media about his ex-girlfriend. Because KU's restrictions on the content of Yeasin's speech on social media raise serious First Amendment issues, the ACLU of Kansas has filed an amicus brief with the Kansas Court of Appeals in the case challenging the expulsion.ACLU Amicus Brief - Yeasin v. KU  

Great news!After organizations from across the state came together to oppose SB 175, Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick announced yesterday that he does not plan to debate the bill, a bill that would force universities to use public funding to support discriminatory student organizations.The ACLU of Kansas, Equality of Kansas, National Organization for Women, Americans United, Mainstream Coalition, as well as student voices and faith leaders from across Kansas proved that this discrimination is not acceptable for the state of Kansas.Thank you for your support on this issue! Your voice matters.

Real Encounter Outreach a self-described “evangelistic outreach” group — with a character development message woven throughout held assemblies in the Topeka area school districts. Doug Bonney, legal director of the ACLU of Kansas reached out to the districts holding the assemblies to ensure religious content was withheld during school hours.

Doug Bonney, legal director of the ACLU of Kansas was recently interviewed by the Topeka Capital-Journal after  crude text messages between fraternity members came to light.

Legal Director Doug Bonney recently discovered the Crawford County Jail is prohibiting inmates from receiving newspapers, magazines and books from publishers.  A demand letter for information was sent to the jail on March 23, 2015.An absolute ban on periodical subscriptions, including newspapers and magazines, and on orders of books is unconstitutional. Although the right in not unlimited, inmates retain a First Amendment right to receive books and magazines.Read Doug's letter to the Crawford County Jail Sheriff's Office here.

For many, a college education is a necessary precursor to succeeding in the workforce. Under state law, any Kansas student who has attended a Kansas high school for three or more years and has earned a high school diploma or a general educational development (GED) certificate would qualify for in-state tuition at public universities.Kansas House Bill 2139 would repeal this successful law, and would dash the hopes of hundreds of Kansans by preventing them from paying the in-state tuition rate. Federal law provides states with an option to allow students to pay in-state tuition regardless of their immigration status. HB 2139 would work against the federal system and move Kansas in the wrong direction.HB 2139 was introduced during the 2015 Kansas legislative session and has currently not advanced in the legislative process.ACLU Testimony HB 2139 - In-State Tuition for Undocumented StudentsNews Coverage