Kansas Threatens Judicial Independence With Funding Cut Provision

The US State of Kansas' new budget provision cuts all funding to the state's court system if the court rules against a previous law limiting its powers.

The US State of Kansas court system's independence is challenged as it is unable to strike down a law which struck down the court's authority to appoint district court chief judges without losing its funding.

The law limiting the court's ability to appoint district court judges and the subsequent provision protecting it follow the court's decision to rule that the Kansas' school funding system violated the state constitution.

"I have never seen a state threaten to defund their entire judiciary before," Matthew Menendez, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program told Radio Sputnik's BradCast.

Now, the Brennan Center for Justice is bringing the law to court on behalf of a district chief judge. No challenge has been made against the provision suspending the court system's funding as of yet.

"I strongly anticipate that there will be a legal challenge to this provision," Menendez added.