Judge orders Kobach to appear for contempt hearing

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, in Topeka.

? A federal judge has ordered Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to show why he shouldn’t be held in contempt for failing to comply with an injunction requiring him to put on voter rolls people who registered at motor vehicle offices without providing citizenship documents.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson on Monday ordered Kobach to appear in her courtroom Friday and to file a written response by Thursday.

Kobach says the state “is in full compliance with the district court’s order.”

The American Civil Liberties Union contends Kobach has not registered these voters in the official poll books as Robinson ordered in May. The ACLU argues Kobach also issued a misleading voter notice.

These voters aren’t given a regular ballot and must use a provisional one, which raises secrecy concerns.