Local Columns

Opinion: James Madison would not be happy

Last week justices on the Kansas Supreme Court signaled that they find fault with the 2021 state law that makes it more difficult for groups to hold voter registration drives. The controversial law criminalizes “false representation” of an election official. In theory, this seems like ...

Opinion: Georgia’s Fani Willis and the court of public opinion

Fani Willis should have known better. It doesn’t take a law degree to know that the appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging as the real thing. Sometimes worse. That’s particularly true in a “heater case,” which is courthouse slang for a case that attracts an inordinate ...

Opinion: What the Constitution doesn’t say

What does the law actually say when it comes to a young person’s right to privately decide what gender they identify with, and to their parents’ right to engage in or even direct the decisions they make? As usual, the law is a lot more ambiguous and contentious than many might ...

Opinion: World Cup runneth over into Kansas

Long before the Chiefs were cementing their dynasty last Sunday and Ted Lasso was bringing Kansan-infused witticisms to the TV-streaming world, the State of Kansas was unknowingly laying groundwork for another transformational event with a foot and a ball: FIFA’s World Cup soccer tournament ...

Opinion: Who’s afraid of ranked choice voting?

Why on earth are Kansas Legislators seeking to ban ranked choice voting? Sponsored by Sen. Chase Blasi of Wichita, Senate Bill 368 would prohibit this practice, which is becoming increasingly popular in many U.S. cities and states. In a recent hearing, the Senate heard conflicting ...

Opinion: Lawmakers, citizens divided on guns

Kansas has some of the most permissive gun laws in the country, and last week the state house began debate on a bill that, if passed, would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to further enshrine gun rights in the state constitution. The proposed amendment would change the language ...