Kansas GOP

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly tapped a Leawood attorney to fill a vacancy, at a time when conservatives want supreme court justices to be elected in the future.

A federal judge ruled that Kansas lawmakers were suppressing free speech when they passed a law targeting mail-in ballots. The law was passed one month after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Kansas lawmakers inserted language in the state budget that would restrict what food benefit recipients can buy. Critics say that defining what counts as unhealthy food and drinks is tricky, and the current ban has glaring loopholes.

Kansas legislators passed a law this year that bans gender-affirming treatments for young transgender people. Plaintiffs say it violates fundamental rights in the state constitution.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit in 2023 along with attorneys general from Kansas and Idaho aimed at overturning guidelines for greater access to the medication abortion pill. The Trump administration will defend an earlier decision that affirms those guidelines.

Kansas artists and cultural organizations would be stripped of state grants if the Kansas Legislature adopts a Senate-approved budget, which entirely eliminates funding the Kansas Arts Commission. The impact would be felt even harder in smaller and rural communities.

At least 23 Kansans have tested positive for measles. Health officials urge full vaccination against the disease.

While Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran spoke at a luncheon at the K-State campus in Olathe, protesters lined the street imploring him stand up to the Trump administration as it takes aggressive, and at times illegal, steps to reshape the federal government.

A proposed state constitutional amendment would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected rather than appointed by the governor.

Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are pushing a resolution that would put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in August 2026, that would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected by the popular vote.