By Anna Kaminski | reporter
Good morning, and happy Friday!
From the Kansas Press Association president, Emily Bradbury, we have a column about the local reporters fighting to access sealed criminal court records in a First Amendment lawsuit. The case isn’t simple, especially when the state denies a “historic tradition” of providing public access to court records, but Bradbury breaks down why this is important.
I covered crime for a short stint and still regularly access court records — civil and criminal — in the course of my reporting, and their value is difficult to overstate. Publicly available court documents are crucial to a well-informed populace, especially when it comes to police power, judicial authority and overall accountability for public and private citizens alike. Plus, they are, simply put, public documents that pertain to public life, which is in the public interest.
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OPINION
Kansans' right to know about criminal complaints at stake in Linn County case over sealed records
By Emily Bradbury
The First Amendment protects the public’s right of access to criminal complaints filed in court against adult defendants. A law sealing such records is unconstitutional in large part because public access to the criminal complaint “reflects the importance of its role in the criminal trial process and the public’s interest in knowing its contents.”
But in 2025, the Kansas Legislature amended a statute to seal all criminal cases filed in Kansas courts that involve arrest warrants. Under that statute and a corresponding policy developed and implemented by the state’s Office of Judicial Administration, court clerks are not authorized to unseal such cases until proof that the warrant was served is filed in court. Until then, adult criminal cases proceed in secret.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Kansas’ Democratic, GOP nominees for governor seek unity — except with each other
TOPEKA — Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher preach the gospel of political unity while opening the three-month odyssey to determine Kansas’ next governor by casting their partisan rivals as political extremists.
The gestures of goodwill were designed to bring comfort to voters who didn’t make Holscher or Masterson their first choice in the Tuesday primary election. These obligatory calls for togetherness didn’t inhibit Masterson nor Holscher from urging voters to stand against their major party rivals.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cyclospora cases rise in Kansas, following report of two deaths nationally
TOPEKA — Kansas cases of a gastrointestinal illness typically caused by an organism on produce rose to 615 as of Wednesday, up about 150 cases from last week, according to a state infectious disease dashboard.
Farm bill stalls, leaving Kansas farm leader concerned about whether it will pass this year
TOPEKA — A top Kansas agriculture advocate lost some of his optimism regarding the farm bill after the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee failed to move the bill forward Thursday.
Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, said he had hoped the nation would see the much-needed passage of a farm bill this year — the first since 2018 — until Thursday afternoon.
Farm bill proposal fails in US Senate ag committee over SNAP error rate issue
Farm bill progress stalled Thursday as the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee failed to move forward its version of the omnibus legislation due to a conflict over when states will shoulder a share of federal nutrition assistance costs.
US Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt for declining to answer COVID questions
WASHINGTON — Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer any questions at a hearing last week about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6 p.m. Aug. 12, Celtic Fox in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will answer audience questions about Kansas Reflector reporting on the primary and general elections. Host: Capital Area Democratic Women's Club.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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