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Rule lets Kansas courts refuse the release of ‘compiled information,’ obscuring your right to know
Of all the headline-grabbing stories in the wake of the “chilling” raid of a community newspaper and two private residences in Marion this past summer, none was more important than the coverage of the affidavits the Marion police chief had signed to justify the search warrants. Commentators were swift to condemn the affidavits as devoid […]
Swaths of Kansas lack written policies on exculpatory evidence, law enforcement dishonesty
Leslie Mayer of Hutchinson is convinced the Lyon County Attorney’s Office withheld evidence that would have helped her late son Travis avoid at least some of the 56 months in prison he served after being found guilty of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer at a 2017 trial. The withheld evidence, she believes, included […]
Dear Kris Kobach: Please read this open letter about open government in Kansas
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Dear attorney general-elect Kris Kobach: Congratulations on your election as […]
Kansas AG’s office enforces open records law while overlooking key piece
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. On Wednesday, I reviewed the unwillingness of the Attorney General’s […]
Attorney General’s Office ignores plain text of Kansas open records law, sets poor example
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. One of the framers of the U.S. Constitution, John Adams, […]
Johnson County sheriff’s stonewalling on election probe keeps Kansans in the dark
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden doesn’t want you to know […]
Getting logrolled? Legislator survey exposes weakness in Kansas constitutional limit on bundling
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Of the 40 senators and 125 representatives serving in the […]
With open government on the line, we’re calling Kansas legislators to account
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Following one of the more contentious and veto-heavy legislative sessions […]
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt falls short on enforcing open records law
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Every March, Sunshine Week reminds us to consider whether Kansans […]