ACLU

A judge heard arguments over a series of proposed amendments to Missouri's constitution seeking to legalize abortion, this time over the ballot language proposed by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. The ACLU argued that Ashcroft's summary was biased against the amendments, like a "referee playing for one of the teams."

The Kansas attorney general asked the court in July to require driver's licenses to show only people's sex assigned at birth. Now, a judge has ruled that five transgender Kansans represented by the American Civil Liberties Union can make their arguments in the case.

Quindaro in Wyandotte County was once a thriving, multiracial community, inextricably linked to the region’s history before, during and after the Civil War. This week, the ACLU of Kansas is releasing a carefully curated, more than 40-page analysis of the former township.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote in the official ballot language for a proposed abortion rights amendment that it would “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions." The ACLU sued, saying that the description was "misleading" and unfairly biased against the initiative.

Dustan Farr said the Platte County School District’s policy to ban transgender students from using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity has "crushed" his daughter's education.

The bill, signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson, bars most transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Opponents cited a provision in the Missouri Constitution "that all persons are created equal and are entitled to equal rights and opportunity under the law."

The ruling found the Kansas Highway Patrol use of maneuver to detain out-of-state drivers for drug searches is unlawful.

The unanimous verdict was scathing in its assessment of Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who refused to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The court concluded that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.”

The attorney general's office refused to sign off on a proposed amendment that would add abortion rights to the Missouri constitution. Although the state auditor's fiscal note estimated minimal cost to the state, Andrew Bailey demanded that the auditor inaccurately increase the estimate by billions of dollars.

Proponents of an initiative petition seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution have been unable to begin collecting signatures because of a showdown between the attorney general and state auditor. In a lawsuit, Missouri ACLU claims that Attorney General Andrew Bailey has made an illegal effort to falsely increase the cost of the amendment.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attempted to convince the state auditor’s office to falsely increase the projected cost of the abortion amendment. Because Bailey refused to sign off on the fiscal note, the ballot summary can't be finalized — something that was supposed to be done by May 1.

Republican lawmakers have become laser focused on legislation affecting transgender Missourians. That reality is pushing some to flee with their families or send transgender teenagers to out-of-state universities. "There's no point in staying," one mother said. "I consider it dangerous here."