Kansas Supreme Court Justice Wilson has resigned. You will get to see how broken the current system is for selecting a replacement. It has been reported that 15 people have applied for the position. The names are public. The State Supreme Court Nominating Commission will interview applicants in June. The Commission is accepting written comments from the public. All of the information can be found at https://kscourts.gov/Newsroom/
The current system to select a new justice may sound good, but let’s take a closer look. There are 9 members on the Commission, two from each congressional district and one chairman. Four members, one from each district, are elected by members of the bar (lawyers) from that district. The other four members, who are not lawyers, are appointed to the Commission by the Governor. The chairman of the Commission is a statewide election by members of the bar. The Commission interviews justice applicants and presents three names to the Governor to select a replacement. Yes, the interviews are public, and the Commission is accepting comments from the public. However, the public has no say. But the good news is you will have a say as to changing the process with a Constitutional Amendment that will be on the ballot August 4, 2026, allowing the option to elect justices. Some say that electing justices makes it political. Isn’t the Commission selection process political? From 1861 to 1958, Kansas elected State Supreme Court Justices. It was changed after Governor Hall resigned in January of 1957 and his Lt. Gov, who become Governor, appointed Hall to the Kansas Supreme Court. Hall had lost a primary challenge, and before the end of his term, the maneuver was executed. Talk about political. After that happened the process with lawyers and a governor in control was put in place. The powers that be in the late 1950’s felt that Kansas voters were not smart enough to select their supreme court justices. This process has failed Kansans. You may have heard, the U.S. Supreme Court has allegedly overturned more Kansas Supreme Court rulings than any other state per capita.
Wind and Solar inverters and batteries have “mysterious, undocumented communication devices in some Chinese-made” equipment. It’s been reported the devices could be remotely accessed, bypassing firewalls. “The devices were designed to connect solar panel arrays and windmills to power grids.” The devices can do more than “spy on the U.S. power grid… [it] could allow an attacker to shut down power grids”. To protect the people of Kansas the legislature passed language that bans government purchases of drones and drone technology from foreign adversaries. There are also restrictions of land purchases and oversight of foreign land ownership by requiring registration. The language didn’t go far enough, but I am hopeful that people will realize the threats to our nation, and we can strengthen Kansas laws for our safety.
Legislative Post Audit presented a report last week on the selection process the Department of Commerce used to distribute Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) COVID-19 grant money. The report states, “The Department of Commerce evaluated BASE 1.0 grant program applicants using a standardized scoring rubric, but it didn’t consistently follow its process or document the Secretary’s final award decisions.” The report is disturbing, and it is not the first report to point to problems with the Department and how they are distributing funds. Another report (audit results) of a BASE 1.0 grant of $3 million was awarded to a Johnson County Company, SOFTwarfare, who was suposed to open a facility in Barton County. The Department issued grant money even though the company’s “matching fund expenses also differed from the specifics of the award agreement”. The Department and the business denied the report, but the two reports do not bode well.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
