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Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

Supreme Court justice selection

In 2026 Kansas voters considered a constitutional amendment to make Supreme Court justices elected offices and abolish the nominating commission; the measure was defeated. Campaign messaging framed it as returning the vote for judges to Kansans amid the broader governor and election cycle.

Should Kansas Supreme Court justices be elected by voters instead of selected through a nominating commission?

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Sources

Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Kansas_2026_ballot_measures
Make the Kansas Supreme Court an elected office and to abolish the court's nominating commission
KWCH News post — https://www.facebook.com/kwchnews/posts/campaign-2026-its-election-day-in-kansas-and-one-expert-breaks-down-key-races-on/1548115200692640
Vote YES! To give the vote for Judges to the Kansas Supreme Court BACK to Kansans!
Positions on this issue  ·  liberal → conservative
  1. Keep merit selection fully intact and expand independent commission authority
  2. Retain appointment via nominating commission with only minor transparency tweaks
  3. Undecided or open to limited hybrid reforms without full elections
  4. Allow voters to elect justices while keeping some screening safeguards
  5. Make all Supreme Court justices fully elected and abolish the nominating commission