Last week Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill threatening to defund the entire state judiciary if it rules against a law he favors reports Slate.
The Huffington Post says Brownback has spent much of his tenure attempting to curb the Kansas Supreme Court and consolidate power in the executive branch.
The issue started when the state supreme court ruled that the disparity between school funding in rich and poor districts violated the state constitution. The justices ordered the legislature to fix the problem.
Shortly after, Kansas lawmakers passed an administrative law stripping the Supreme Court of its authority to appoint local chief judges and set district court budgets.
The court can strike down the administrative law, except the new law declares if the Supreme Court strikes down the administrative law, the entire state judiciary will lose its funding.