| On July 1st, over 10 pro-family policies became law. We now protect babies born from failed abortions, we actually know what a woman is in Kansas, and girls in Kansas can grow up knowing their athletic opportunities will be protected, just to name a few things. This is huge. However, the radical Left is pushing back at every turn. Last week, Attorney Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit after Gov. Kelly refused to enforce the Women’s Bill of Rights & ensure that birth certificates and driver’s licenses reflect biological truth as mandated by the law. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Kobach announced his legal opinion that all birth certificates and driver’s licenses that have been changed have to be restored to their original designation to reflect biology and not ideology. And just this morning, Judge Theresa Watson granted the Attorney General’s request for an injunction against the Governor when it comes to issuing driver’s licenses. And on June 30th, the Supreme Court concluded its term. It was a very interesting term for biblical values full of blockbuster cases. In a case argued by our friends at First Liberty and the Independence Law Center, Groff v. DeJoy, the Court clarified that employers must accommodate religious employees unless it will create an undue hardship. Previously, the phrase undue hardship was interpreted very loosely, giving an employer a pretty easy out in accommodating its employee’s religious beliefs. The Court clarified and raised the standard for the employer, greatly increasing the protections for religious employees. In the free speech case of 303 Creative v. Elenis, our national partners at Alliance Defending Freedom successfully argued that the government cannot compel a creator to express a message that violates his or her beliefs. This is a win for all Americans and all Kansans. No one should be forced by the government to express a message that they disagree with. The creator in this case was Lorie Smith, a web designer. She wanted to be able to create custom wedding websites without fear of prosecution from the state of Colorado if she declined to create websites for same-sex weddings. Correctly, the Court affirmed decades of precedence around compelled speech and said that Lorie did not have to create these messages she disagreed with on religious grounds. ADF and Lorie are being unfairly ridiculed for standing for truth and for freedom of speech. Lorie agreed to serve all people. She just did not want to create a message with which she disagreed. The dissent misapplied law, studies, and even Kansas statute in their efforts to sideline Lorie just because they disfavored her beliefs. This case came to the Supreme Court on procedural grounds that many onlookers were not used to seeing, which has caused individuals who are unfamiliar with legal proceedings to unfairly attack this case. But when you actually read this case, this is a win for the First Amendment which protects everyone. These cases are important for Kansas because they have consequential applications for how Kansas’ nondiscrimination laws and local codes have to be enforced. The government cannot make you speak when you do not wish to speak. And your employer cannot force you to violate your beliefs. Freedom, sanity, and biblical principles are winning in Kansas and across our country. However, we must remain vigilant! Remaining vigilant, |
