Kansas court rules in favor of Kobach in transgender driver’s license lawsuit
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TOPEKA (KSNT) – A Kansas District Court has ruled in favor of Attorney General Kris Kobach in requiring people to list their sex at birth on driver’s licenses.
The Office of the Attorney General of Kansas announced in a press release on Monday, March 11 the District Court of Shawnee County has issued a temporary injunction alongside a memorandum decision in the State of Kansas ex rel. Kris Kobach v. David Harper, et al. The court holds that Kansas driver’s licenses must only show the sex at birth.
“This decision is a victory for the rule of law and common sense,” Kobach said. “The Legislature wisely stated that state agencies should record biological sex at birth, and today the court held that the meaning of the law is clear.”
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded to the Monday ruling with a statement sent to 27 News:
“We are disappointed in the court’s ruling and considering all available options for next steps,” ACLU LGBGQ+ Legal Fellow D.C. Hiegert. “The overbroad interpretation of SB180 advocated for by the Attorney General, and adopted by the Court, will result in transgender people experiencing harassment, denial of services, or worse. The plain text of SB 180 does not require this result, and there is no government justification that compels it, either. We will continue working toward a vision of our state that allows all of us to live in peace, free from government persecution and impositions on our core identities. We remain unconvinced that the imaginary injury to the state could ever outweigh the enormous harm our clients and other transgender Kansans have and will continue to experience by being forced to carry inaccurate identification documents, in violation of their rights under the state constitution.”
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This long legal battle over Kansas driver’s licenses has its roots in 2023 when Kobach announced he would sue to prevent Governor Laura Kelly and some state agencies from allowing transgender individuals to change their licenses. The Kansas Legislature passed SB 180 previously that same year defining biological sex despite Kelly’s attempt to veto the bill.
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