Kansas Judiciary

Those wanting merit-based selection of justices are keen to keep the status quo, while others seek to establish direct elections for justices.

This saga began in March 2021 when Geary County sheriff's deputy Bradley Rose pulled over a motorist on Interstate 70 because he noticed half of the word "Illinois" couldn't be easily read on the tag. But a unanimous Kansas Supreme Court said that wasn't enough to qualify as reasonable suspicion of a crime.

A Wyandotte County judge agreed with criticisms of the death penalty, but he said the case was invalid because both defendants no longer face capital punishment.

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.

The battle in Kansas between the Republican leadership and the state courts has entered a new phase, reports The Kansas City Star. Four district court…