Kansas Republicans Push Amendment to Let Voters Elect Supreme Court Justices
Conservatives back the change after court rulings on abortion and school funding, and supporters say elected justices could shift the seven-member court right.
- On Tuesday, Kansas voters will decide whether to elect state Supreme Court justices rather than have the governor appoint them, a conservative push to reshape the judiciary.
- Republicans have pursued this change for years to curb court rulings on abortion, school funding, and the death penalty, arguing the current system leaves justices unaccountable for their decisions.
- High-Stakes spending has exceeded $12 million total, with Planned Parenthood contributing $1.6 million to the vote-no campaign while a Nashville-based nonprofit provided $1.7 million to the vote-yes side.
- Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly opposes the proposal, warning that politicizing the judiciary would create a "dysfunctional system," while state Sen. Mike Thompson, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican, backs the measure.
- If the amendment passes, supporters hope to elect at least four conservative justices by 2033; historically, Kansas voters have never removed a sitting justice during six-year retention elections.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Kansas GOP chair says constitutional amendment vote is most important ‘of our lifetime’
TOPEKA — The chair of the Kansas Republican Party issued a stern warning Tuesday morning that the vote on whether to elect Supreme Court justices was “the most important election of our lifetime.” “Yeah, I know everyone says that every…
Talking Points Memo
Balls and StrikesThe Push to Elect Kansas Supreme Court Justices Is a Cynical Anti-Abortion Power Grab
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at Balls and Strikes. On Tuesday, voters in Kansas will…
Opponents of Kansas judicial selection amendment have faced intimidation, gaslighting
Kansas Supreme Court Justice Dan Biles gestures during arguments over newly drawn congressional maps in May 2022. (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)An insular gang of rightwing reactionaries has spent the better part of two years rigging the judicial selection amendment vote. Whether the measure succeeds or fails Tuesday, the playing field was tilted against opponents from the start. Supporters have manipulated the system at every step to suppre…
With school funding at stake, this judicial selection amendment could ravage rural Kansas communities - Tri-County Tribune
John Doll served in the Kansas Senate from 2017 to 2025 and the Kansas House from 2013 to 2017. Before that, he taught government for 20 years at Garden City public schools. Mary Jo Taylor served in the Kansas Legislature from 2017 to 2021 and served as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Kansas public schools for 34 years. They have submitted the following opinion on upcoming judicial amendment that will be on ballots August 4, 2026, in …
The Deadline Docket & Kansas’s Abortion Wars
It’s a big primary week, but there are also several critical political deadlines that could shake up elections in critical states: –August 3: Monday is the last day that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who hasn’t been on Capitol Hill since being found unconscious in June, could trigger a special election by resigning. Either way, a […] The post The Deadline Docket & Kansas’s Abortion Wars appeared first on Puck.
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