Kansas United for Impartial Courts ramps up for political battle in August
By Earl F Glynn
March 02, 2026
Updated to reflect campaign finance report filed by KUIC on Feb. 13; added links to related Sunflower State Journal articles.
Campaign against constitutional amendment
On Monday Kansas United for Impartial Courts started reviewing applications for three positions to oppose a constitutional amendment to allow the direct election of Supreme Court Judges in Kansas. View the online job postings.
The constitutional amendment referendum will be on the ballot in August.
Apparently a $12,000 per month position posted in January for the Campaign Manager has already been filled.
The online ad for the Campaign Manager listed members of the KUIC statewide coalition:
- ACLU of Kansas,
- Kansas Values Institute,
- Kansas NEA,
- Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes,
- “members of the Kansas legal community.”
Two of the positions under consideration will pay $8000/month, while a third pays $6500/month. The field director is to hire three field organizers.
Business Filing
Last year Kansas United for Impartial Courts incorporated with board members who are executive directors of the most progressive nonprofits in Kansas:
- Evan Gates from Kansas Values Institute,
- Micah Kubic from ACLU Kansas, and
- Emily Wales from Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
Controversy in not new
The selection of Supreme Court judges has been controversial for more than 20 years.
Kansas is alone in its process
Kansas has a unique selection process where attorneys through the state bar association dominate the selection process.
Why should attorneys have so much power to control the courts?
ACLU leads opposition
ACLU put $200,000 in the kitty
Comments by ACLU’s Kubic
Micah Kubic, ACLU Executive Director, addressed a League of Women Voters audienceat the capitol on Kansas Day, January 29, about judicial selection.
Kubic expressed concern about partisan politics being part of the proposed judicial selection change, but did not explain why so many now feel the current selection system is so partisan and biased.
In the video Kubic suggested the focus of the referendum should be on progressive “hot button” issues such as abortion, school funding, LGBT issues, and voting rights fights, instead of improvement in the process of selecting supreme court judges.
Kubic said the strategy is to “make it clear what the stakes are, and that this is a rerun of the abortion amendment in 2022.” Kubic said “we will have the infrastructure and mechanisms to do what as we did in 2022.”
Meanwhile, conservatives might want to get started on their campaign to pass the amendment.
Related
Fundraising for campaign opposing judicial amendment approaches $2 million, Brad Cooper, Sunflower State Journal, March 4, 2026.
ACLU Kansas received $350,000 in funding from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisorsand $101,037 from the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation in 2024.
The Susan Thompson Buffet Foundationgave huge amounts to Kansas abortion providers, including $2.55 million to Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
Judicial amendment campaign shapes up; outside group books nearly $1 million in ads, Brad Cooper, Sunflower State Journal, Feb. 23, 2026.
Updated Political Profile of Members of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission: Still 6 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 Republican for Moore, Kansas Meadowlark,Dec. 16, 2007, via The WayBack Machine