More than one month into the Kansas Legislature's 2025 session, Democrats' hopes of bipartisanship and compromise have largely vanished.
"Frankly, the Republicans have such a large majority, they don't really need cooperation from Democrats on a lot of issues," Kansas News Service statehouse reporter Daniel Caudill.
Among several contentious issues debated in this session, Kansas Republicans are seeking to change how Supreme Court justices are chosen. Currently, a nonpartisan commission suggests nominees to the governor but under a new proposal, voters would directly elect Supreme Court Justices. Kansas News Service politics reporter Zane Irwin says the move is a direct response to some major decisions by the court.
"One thing that has really angered Republican leadership is they feel, you know, the state is majority conservative, and this court has kind of leaned a different direction," Irwin says.
Listen to Irwin and Caudill discuss a variety of issues in the Kansas Legislature including gender-affirming care, property taxes, and medical marijuana legalization on KCUR's Up To Date.
- Daniel Caudill, Kansas News Service statehouse reporter
- Zane Irwin, Kansas News Service politics reporter
