Civil Rights
COVID-19 infects Kansas judicial system with backlog of more than 1,700 trials
At least 1,700 criminal trials have been delayed due to COVID-19 in Kansas, and lifting statewide disaster declaration will overwhelm judiciary.
Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act opened floodgates for new restrictions
It hadn’t even been a day since the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled one of the pillars of voting rights in America, and North Carolina lawmakers weren’t wasting any time. Republican legislators had been contemplating a bill that would require photo identification to vote. The bill had plenty of support, but it had spent the past […]
Black Lives Matter casts doubt on independence of Topeka’s police auditor
TOPEKA — Leaders of Black Lives Matter Topeka say the city’s police department must shift its focus to correcting unjust policing systems and practices to achieve meaningful reform. More than 50 people gathered Tuesday evening in front of the Statehouse before marching in near silence to City Hall, where they called for increased accountability from […]
Voter fraud myth persists despite constant failure to prove claims
TOPEKA, Kan. — Scott Moore had never heard of the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck program before election officials in Kansas and Florida exposed his personal information, along with 944 other Kansas voters. The now-defunct Crosscheck was designed to help county clerks clean up registration lists by looking for voters who had moved to neighboring states. […]
Bipartisan scorn for barbering board’s style of grading potential licensees
Kansas legislators are skeptical of the state barbering board's plan for weighing civil and criminal records to decide suitability for a barbering license.
Black girls in Kansas face harsher discipline than their white peers — this needs to change
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. Jazmine Rogers is a youth leader with the Kansas juvenile justice group Progeny. Growing up in Kansas, I’ve witnessed the heartbreaking relentlessness of our state’s youth […]
Abortion a blunt instrument in Bollier, Marshall battle for open U.S. Senate seat
Abortion politics driving wedge into U.S. Senate showdown in Kansas between Republican Roger Marshall and Democrat Barbara Bollier.
Former Topekan to lead Smithsonian’s museum of African American history, culture
The new director of Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is poet and author Kevin Young, a former Topeka resident.
Biden says he’ll support election outcome, but Trump urges supporters to ‘watch very carefully’
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged Tuesday night to accept the outcome of the election, while President Donald Trump urged his supporters to “watch very carefully” what happens as voters cast their general-election ballots. Those comments were in response to a question at the first presidential debate from moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, […]
Kansas long-term care advocates view public COVID-19 report as ‘life-or-death’ guide
Kansas advocates for the elderly and disabled in long-term care facilities praise KDHE reporting on clusters, but would welcome more data.
Kansas public defender not convinced of need for blanket suspension of speedy-trial law
A Kansas defense lawyer is frustrated by suspension of speedy-trial law, while the state's attorney general expects a flood of lawsuits on that point.
Disabled, elderly advocates eager for KDHE reporting of site-specific COVID-19 outbreaks
Advocates of elderly and disabled people in Kansas are urging KDHE to resume facility-specific reporting on spread of COVID-19 infection.