Courts and Crime
AG candidates angling for traction with lights, sirens of law enforcement endorsements
Kansas' GOP candidates for attorney general banking on endorsements from law enforcement to kickstart campaigns.
Kansas A.G. subpoenas reporter’s notes from book on wrongful murder conviction
TOPEKA — The Kansas Attorney General’s Office issued a subpoena commanding a journalist to turn over information he gathered while writing a book and news stories about a Jefferson County man who served 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. After Kansas Reflector published this story, the attorney general’s office filed a […]
Kansas congressional delegation’s five Republicans join effort to overturn Roe v. Wade
Five of six Kansas members of Congress endorse legal brief outlining why U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade abortion decision.
Kansas D.A. refuses to prosecute violations of new law that halted voter registration drives
TOPEKA — Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez says she won’t prosecute anyone under a new state law that caused nonprofits to halt voter registration efforts at the start of July. The legislation’s sweeping reforms include a provision that makes it illegal for individuals to engage in conduct that would cause someone to believe they […]
Attorney general to appeal emergency-power decision, warns of ‘legal anarchy’
Kansas attorney general appealing court ruling that state's emergency-power law unconstitutional, claims action can lead to "legal anarchy."
‘Our democracy is in peril’: Women risk arrest in voting rights protest in D.C.
WASHINGTON — Diane Howard of Cleveland traveled to the nation’s capital with hundreds of other women to urge Congress to pass an elections overhaul and undo new state laws that restrict voting access. A community activist for half a century, Howard said that this is not the first time she’s seen voting rights under attack. […]
The Chase County Courthouse is a Kansas icon. The jail in its shadow is a disgrace.
If you’ve ever strolled downtown in Cottonwood Falls, you’ll remember the charming courthouse perched on the square at the south end of the brick street. Charming is not a word I use often, but there’s no doubt about it: The Chase County Courthouse is downright charming. With its local limestone walls, red mansard roof and […]
New Kansas law cracks down on sexual extortion, spousal abuse, fleeing police
TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers and legal leaders are praising a new law that creates the crime of sexual extortion and removes a spousal exemption to sexual battery. Senate Bill 60, which went into effect July 1, bundles several criminal justice and law enforcement actions. The law amends when a person can be tried in Kansas, […]
Kansas judge strikes down law providing speedy challenge to mask mandates in schools
TOPEKA — The Legislature’s attempt to promote “legal anarchy” in response to COVID-19 precautions in public schools is unconstitutional, a Johnson County District Court judge ruled Thursday. District Judge David Hauber also determined the entirety of Senate Bill 40 is unenforceable, effectively wiping out a Republican-led charge to restrict the governor’s oversight of emergencies. The decision […]
Chuck Schumer: Congress should legalize weed on the federal level
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate says decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level is a change that’s “long overdue,” and that he’s prioritizing that effort amid a growing number of states legalizing cannabis. To that end, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday unveiled a draft proposal for removing cannabis from the federal […]
Kansas judge to decide whether secretary of state can hide public records by altering software
TOPEKA — An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says the state’s open records law might as well not exist if Secretary of State Scott Schwab is allowed to keep public information hidden by reconfiguring software. Attorney Josh Pierson argued Wednesday in Shawnee County District Court for the release of provisional ballot […]
Kansas labor department pushes new reemployment program
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Labor is making a push this week to sign unemployment claimants up for the state’s newly buffed reemployment assistance program. The enhanced My Reemployment Plan program, part of House Bill 2196 approved by the Kansas Legislature in May, is intended to help those who are unemployed find new jobs […]