GOP Pushes for Elected Kansas Justices to Shift Court Ideology

WHO:

ABC News - Kansas voters

AP News - Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Attorney General Kris Kobach, Troy Newman (president of Operation Rescue), Jamie Swan (engineer and college teaching assistant), Elizabeth Patton (state director of Americans for Prosperity)

AP News - Kansans for Life (state’s most influential anti-abortion group)

WHAT:

ABC News - Kansas voters will decide whether to elect state Supreme Court justices rather than have the governor appoint them.

AP News - If the constitutional amendment passes, supporters hope to elect at least four conservative, anti-abortion justices to the seven-member court by 2033.

AP News - Total spending by both sides on the abortion rights issue has exceeded $12 million.

AP News - The vote-yes campaign’s biggest donor provided $1.7 million toward the campaign’s $3.7 million in spending.

AP News - The national and state affiliates for Planned Parenthood contributed another $1.6 million toward the vote-no campaign’s $8 million-plus in spending.

AP News - Americans for Prosperity has spent $935,000 to promote the vote-yes campaign.

WHERE:

AP News - Topeka, Kansas

WHEN:

ABC News - Kansas voters will decide on the amendment on an upcoming Tuesday.

WHY:

AP News - Conservatives have pushed for the change due to dissatisfaction with court decisions on issues such as abortion, school funding, and the death penalty.

AP News - GOP lawmakers cite multiple rulings by Kansas courts over the past two decades as reasons for change.

AP News - Masterson stated, “If we elect our Supreme Court, they won’t force you to spend money on schools.”

AP News - Supporters believe electing justices will prevent wealthy donors from controlling the Supreme Court.

HOW:

AP News - Kansas currently has a system where the governor appoints justices from a list provided by a nominating commission controlled by attorneys.

AP News - The proposal aims to revert to a system where justices are elected by voters, a system that was in place for nearly 100 years before a constitutional amendment in 1958.

(UPDATED August 2, 2026 14:26 UTC)

Kansas voters will soon decide whether to shift from a system where the governor appoints state Supreme Court justices to one where justices are elected by the public, with the vote taking place on an upcoming Tuesday. If the proposed constitutional amendment passes, supporters hope to elect at least four conservative, anti-abortion justices to the seven-member court by 2033, amid significant spending on both sides that has already exceeded $12 million. This push for change comes as conservatives express dissatisfaction with past court decisions on various issues, including abortion and school funding, with GOP lawmakers arguing that electing justices will reduce the influence of wealthy donors in the judicial system.