“Voters, not lawyers, should choose the judges who serve on the Kansas Supreme Court. But under the current system, nominees for the state supreme court are picked by a group of political insiders. The Left is using this system to make sure they control the courts, even though registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by 2 to 1 in Kansas.

Vote YES on Amendment 1, the Judicial Selection Amendment, to give Kansans a voice in selecting their Supreme Court judges.

Voting is the most democratic way to choose judges. Studies show that voting also leads to more representative judges (conservative judges get elected in conservative states) because elections provide an opportunity for people to learn what positions the judge holds. Studies also show that attorneys, as a group, lean left-of-center. In other words, when attorneys, instead of voters, pick the judges, these judges tilt Left." - American Family Association

"Who decides who sits on Kansas courts? Today, it's attorneys and political insiders — not you. Support the 'Right to Vote' amendment and take that power back.

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE for the Most Powerful Judges in Kansas.

• Judges are not accountable to voters 
• Kansans do not vote on Supreme Court justices
• Decisions are made behind closed doors
• Attorneys are less than 1% of the population, yet control the entire process

Amendment 1 is simple: it gives YOU the right to vote for Kansas Supreme Court justices. Right now, a small group of attorneys makes those decisions behind closed doors — without your vote, without your input, without accountability to you. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.

Make Our Courts Fair and Accountable to the People. Direct elections of judges — the most popular method in the nation — are already used in 21 states and 55 Kansas counties. It’s time to use it for our Supreme Court too.

• Voters deserve a voice in our justice system
• Our court should reflect Kansas values
• The court should serve justice, not special interests
• Make our courts fair and accountable to the people" - Americans for Prosperity

"...Presently, Kansas has an opaque system dominated by gatekeepers, the majority of whom are lawyers selected by other lawyers. It has guaranteed the vast majority of the justices on the court will hold the same judicial philosophy held by those lawyers.

The nominating commission essentially operates in a black box – unlike with other models, the applicants are vetted privately and are not required to justify why or how they arrived on the three names. Of course, governors are shackled to the three nominees – he or she could have universal support among the electorate, but that wouldn’t matter when it comes to who sits on the court.

...There is essentially no check to the commission’s power. Even among the so called “merit” system states, we stand alone in having the thickest firewall between the people and the justices of our highest court.

...Direct elections make the political dynamic explicit, not hidden in backrooms by bar members who think they’re better than the rest of us." - Ty Masterson, State Senator

"Kansas has one of the best judicial selection systems in the nation. For 67 years, our merit-based process has given us impartial, qualified judges accountable to the Kansas Constitution — not to political donors. Amendment 1 would throw all of that away.

Judicial elections across the country have become feeding frenzies for billionaires and corporations who want judges that rule in their favor. Kansas will be no different. Out-of-state mega-donors will pour money into campaigns to handpick justices who serve their interests — not yours.

Statewide judicial campaigns cost millions. Lawyers and judges of integrity who refuse to be bought simply won't be able to compete. The candidates left standing will be those willing to trade rulings for campaign cash.

Elected judges must spend time fundraising instead of studying the law. They must appeal to the loudest and richest voices instead of applying the Constitution impartially. That's not justice — that's politics in a robe.

Kansas's current merit selection process — the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission — recruits qualified candidates, screens them rigorously, and gives the governor a vetted list to choose from. Justices then face nonpartisan retention votes. It's transparent, accountable, and has served Kansas well since 1958.

Our current Supreme Court followed the Kansas Constitution to fully fund public education and to protect reproductive rights. An elected court beholden to wealthy donors could strip those protections away." - Protect Kansas Rights  

"A politicized State Supreme Court may not sound like an issue on face value, but it is important to understand what is at stake. While some argue this change would increase democratic participation, it would completely alter the balance between judicial independence and political influence in our state. If partisan campaigning and outside spending become the keys to judicial selection, this would create real risks for how legal protections are applied and enforced, particularly for our most vulnerable populations, and the results could affect the lives of every Kansan.

Supporters of the amendment claim it would allow for more direct elections and therefore a more accountable democracy. But others raise concerns that this approach would likely increase the influence of large donors, political organizations, and outside spending in determining who serves on the court.

This amendment follows a series of Kansas Supreme Court decisions on issues such as school funding and constitutional rights and would shape how future courts approach similar cases." - ACLU of Kansas 

KANSAS ELECTIONS FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AMENDMENT (August 2026)

This question is on the ballot in Kansas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 4, 2026. As of July 14, 2026, no committee to support the amendment has been identified. Thus, there is no record of funds raised to support the amendment.

KANSAS ELECTIONS FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AMENDMENT (August 2026)

This question is on the ballot in Kansas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 4, 2026. As of July 14, 2026, the committees formed to oppose Elections for Supreme Court Justices Amendment (August 2026) are: 

KANSAS UNITED FOR IMPARTIAL COURTS

Selected contributions to "Kansas United for Impartial Courts" include:

• American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas
• American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc
• American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas
• Kansas Values Institute
• Global Impact Social Welfare Fund
• Planned Parenthood Great Plains
• Kansas Trial Lawyers Association