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ACLU Sues Government Over Citizenship Delay For Iraq War Hero (07/16/2008)
KANSAS CITY, MO – The American Civil Liberties Union sued the government in a federal court in Kansas for unlawfully delaying the citizen application of Julian Polous Al Matchy, a highly decorated U.S. Army war hero. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court with the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri in cooperation with the McCrummen Immigration Law Group, LLC against Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FBI Director Robert Mueller and two officers of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri Hires New Executive Director (11/26/2007)
KANSAS CITY, MO – The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri has hired Dan Winter as its new executive director. Winter, who will begin work Dec. 17, will lead the staff, volunteers and board of directors in efforts to protect every person’s civil rights throughout the region.

ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri Hires New Executive Director (11/26/2007)
Kansas City, MO – The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri has hired Dan Winter as its new executive director. Winter, who will begin work Dec. 17, will lead the staff, volunteers and board of directors in efforts to protect every person’s civil rights throughout the region.

ACLU Announces Multi-State Action Calling on Government to Fix Medical Inaccuracies in Federally Funded Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curricula (05/09/2007)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced a multi-state action calling on the federal government to fix medical inaccuracies in federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula. Eleven ACLU affiliates sent letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) alerting the agency to problematic curricula in their states and asking HHS to take steps to remedy the situation.

ACLU Asks Appeals Court to Protect Teens’ Access to Reproductive Health Care (02/06/2007)
DENVER - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to protect teens’ access to confidential reproductive health care. In a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the court, the ACLU said an opinion issued by the former Attorney General of Kansas intimidates teens from seeking medical care, and puts their health and safety at risk.

ACLU Launches Nationwide Action Against NSA Snooping on Americans’ Phone Calls (05/24/2006)
NEW YORK -- Responding to reports that phone companies are turning over private details about Americans’ telephone calls to the National Security Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union today launched a nationwide initiative to end illegal government spying.

ACLU Applauds Unanimous Kansas Supreme Court Decision Reversing Conviction of Gay Teen Unfairly Punished under "Romeo and Juliet" Law (10/21/2005)
ACLU Applauds Unanimous Kansas Supreme Court Decision Reversing Conviction of Gay Teen Unfairly Punished under ""Romeo and Juliet"" Law

Lesbian Challenges Missouri Policy Barring Gay People from Foster Parenting (05/02/2005)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- A lesbian who has spent her life helping children is challenging a Missouri policy barring lesbian and gay people from serving as foster parents. Lisa Johnston, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, brought a challenge to the law in state court after an administrative judge, who found her to be otherwise ""exceptionally"" qualified to foster parent, denied her application solely because she is a lesbian.

ACLU Sues Missouri High School for Censoring Gay Student (11/23/2004)
WEBB CITY, MO - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court today against a high school that twice punished a student for wearing t-shirts bearing gay pride messages and banned him from wearing the shirts to school again. Attorneys for 16-year-old Brad Mathewson also asked for a court order to stop the school from further censoring his speech.

ACLU Scolds Missouri High School for Censoring Gay Student (10/29/2004)
WEBB CITY, MO - The American Civil Liberties Union has come to the defense of a high school junior who was sent home twice from school for wearing t-shirts bearing gay pride messages. The principal cited concerns that other students may be offended by the shirts worn by Brad Mathewson.

Kansas City FBI Agents Attempted to Chill ACLU Official's Free Speech Rights (10/12/2004)
KANSAS CITY, MO - In a complaint letter filed today with the Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City FBI office, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri charged that FBI agents with the local Joint Terrorism Task Force exercised ""poor judgment"" in an effort to intimidate Executive Director Dick Kurtenbach after he publicly criticized its ethnic and racial profiling activities.

Kansas Supreme Court Hears Appeal of Gay Teen Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (08/31/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reduce the sentence of a young man who is serving 16 years more in prison than he would if he were heterosexual because of Kansas's so-called ""Romeo and Juliet"" law. The law makes sexual relations with a minor a lesser crime if both people are teens, but only applies to opposite-sex relations.

ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri Seeks Additional Information from Kansas Attorney General on CD Censorship (08/17/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - In a letter submitted today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri called on Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline to explain his decision to ban over 30 music CDs from Kansas libraries.

Social Workers Speak Out on Behalf of Gay Teen Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (08/09/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and its Kansas chapter are joining the American Civil Liberties Union in asking the Kansas Supreme Court to reverse the conviction of a teenager who is serving a prison sentence 13 times longer than he would have received if he were heterosexual.

ACLU Asks Kansas Supreme Court to Drop 17-Year Prison Sentence of Gay Teenager (06/24/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - In a brief filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reverse a 17-year conviction for a teenager who would have only had to serve 15 months if he were heterosexual.

Missouri School District Agrees to Stop Distributing Bibles to Students (06/03/2004)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- A Kansas City Metro Area school district has agreed to stop distributing Gideon International Bibles to elementary-school children on school premises, settling a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri on behalf of a Roman Catholic father of three.

Kansas Supreme Court to Hear ACLU Appeal of 17-Year Prison Sentence for Gay Teenager (05/27/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - The Kansas Supreme Court has agreed to consider the American Civil Liberties Union's appeal on behalf of a gay teenager who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for consensual oral sex, the ACLU said today. Matthew Limon has already been in prison for four years and three months - three and a half times longer than the maximum sentence he would have received if he were heterosexual.

ACLU Asks Kansas Supreme Court to Reconsider 17-Year Prison Sentence of Bisexual Teenager (03/01/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - Arguing that an appeals court erred gravely in upholding a 17-year prison sentence for a bisexual teenager, the American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Kansas Supreme Court to rehear the case of Matthew Limon.

Defying U.S. Supreme Court, Kansas Court Upholds 17-Year Prison Sentence of Bisexual Teenager (01/30/2004)
TOPEKA, KS -- The American Civil Liberties Union today deplored a Kansas appeals court ruling that it is constitutional to give a bisexual teenager a sentence 13 times longer than a straight teenager would receive for the same crime.

ACLU Fires Back at Kansas Attorney General in Latest Round over 17-Year Prison Sentence of Bisexual Teenager (10/02/2003)
TOPEKA, KS - Responding to the state's support of a 17-year prison sentence in the case of a bisexual teenager who had consensual oral sex with another male teenager, the American Civil Liberties Union will file legal papers with a state appeals court tomorrow. The ACLU disputes Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline's assertions that the state should be able to sentence gay and straight teen offenders differently.

ACLU Asks Kansas Court to Overturn 17-Year Prison Sentence of Bisexual Teenager (08/11/2003)
TOPEKA, KS - Arguing that excluding gay teenagers from the Kansas "Romeo and Juliet" law is unconstitutional after the recent Supreme Court decision striking down sodomy laws, the American Civil Liberties Union today asked a state appeals court to free a bisexual teenager who is serving 17 years in prison for having oral sex with another young man.

Kansas Public Library Concedes That it Can't Censor Employee for Discussing Historic Sodomy Ruling (08/05/2003)
TOPEKA, KS - Responding to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has conceded that, under the law, it cannot forbid one of its employees from talking at work about the recent historic Supreme Court ruling banning sodomy laws.

ACLU Urges Kansas Public Library Not to Censor Employee for Discussing Historic Sodomy Ruling (07/16/2003)
TOPEKA, KS - Citing serious First Amendment violations, the American Civil Liberties Union today sent a letter to the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library asking that it reconsider its actions in forbidding one of its staff members from talking at work about the recent historic Supreme Court ruling banning sodomy laws.

Supreme Court Intervenes on Behalf of Kansas Youth Serving 17-Year Prison Sentence Because He's Gay (06/27/2003)
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court today ordered the case of a young gay man back to a Kansas appeals court for further consideration in light of yesterday's historic ruling on sexual intimacy. The American Civil Liberties Union represents Matthew Limon in this appeal.

ACLU Charges Missouri Public School District with Allowing Improper Religious Activities in Classroom (05/01/2003)
INDEPENDENCE, MO -- Saying that a teacher here taught religious claims from the Bible as historical fact, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri and Americans United for Separation of Church and State today filed a lawsuit against school district officials for allowing the teacher to promote improper religious activities in his history class.

ACLU Asks Supreme Court to Strike Down Anti-Gay Kansas Law (10/10/2002)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Supreme Court to declare part of Kansas's ""Romeo and Juliet Law"" unconstitutional because it gives gay teenagers much higher prison sentences than heterosexual teenagers who engage in identical consensual sexual activities.

Court Suspends 100-Year-Old Kansas Law That Limited Ballot Access Based on Length of Political Party's Name (10/07/2002)
KANSAS CITY-A federal district court in Topeka today ordered Kansas' Secretary of State to suspend a 100-year-old law -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- that unfairly restricts access to election ballots by limiting the names of political parties to two words, one of which must be "party."

ACLU Challenges 100-Year-Old Kansas Law Limiting Ballot Access Based on Length of Political Party's Name (08/22/2002)
KANSAS CITY- The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri and the ACLU's Voting Rights Project today filed a federal lawsuit challenging a 100-year-old Kansas law -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- that unfairly restricts access to election ballots by limiting the names of political parties to two words, one of which must be ""party.""

Appeal Hearing Tuesday for Gay Teen Serving 16 Extra Years In Prison Under Biased 'Romeo and Juliet Law' (11/15/2001)
TOPEKA, KS -- A state appeals court will hear arguments Tuesday in the case of a teenager who is serving 16 years more in prison than he would if he were heterosexual, because Kansas' so-called ""Romeo and Juliet Law"" (which makes sexual relations with a minor a lesser crime if both people are teens) only applies to opposite-sex relations. 

'Romeo & Juliet Law' Gives Gay Teen 16 Years More In Prison than Heterosexual Would Serve (09/28/2001)
KANSAS CITY, KS - Kansas' so-called ""Romeo and Juliet Law"" is unconstitutional because it gives lesbian and gay youth much higher prison sentences than straight youth who engage in the same behavior, the American Civil Liberties Union said in an appeal brief filed today. 

Kansas County Official Abused Position By Mailing Bible Tracts, Attacking Citizens's Beliefs, ACLU Says (08/30/2000)
TOPEKA, KS - The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri entered court today to stop a local official from using her government position to abuse and intimidate citizens who do not share her religious viewpoints.

Kansas Moves to Implement New Racial Profiling Law (06/25/2000)
TOPEKA, KS -- According to a story in today's Topeka Capital-Journal, a new Kansas law takes effect Saturday requiring a study be conducted to determine whether law enforcement agencies in the state engage in racial profiling. But a state official says it likely will be several months before research begins.

Kansas Court to Hear ACLU Case Of Honor Student Expelled for Displaying Artwork (01/28/2000)
WICHITA, KS -- At a hearing this morning in Wichita, the American Civil Liberties Union will ask a federal judge to overturn the expulsion of a high school senior for displaying artwork deemed "threatening." ool board has said that before it will allow the honor student to return to school, she must submit to a mental heath examination and agree to be put on probation for the remainder of the school year.

ACLU Vows Legal Action Over Honor Student's Expulsion for Displaying Artwork (01/20/2000)
LEON, KANSAS -- As school officials convened this morning to hear an appeal of a high school senior expelled for displaying artwork deemed "threatening," the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri vowed to bring a court challenge if the punishment is not rescinded.

ACLU of KS Sues on Behalf of Foreign Student Excluded from High School Sports and Activities (10/20/1999)
OTTAWA, KANSAS -- Acting on behalf of a South African high school student, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri today filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas State High School Activities Association challenging a policy that excludes foreign students from participation in interscholastic activities.

ACLU Defends Missouri Honors Student Suspended for Remark in Internet Chat Room (10/14/1999)
ST. LOUIS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri filed a federal lawsuit this week against a local school district for suspending an honors student who spoke his mind on an Internet chat room on the topic of school violence.

ACLU Sues Missouri Authorities Over "Deplorable" Conditions at County Jail (10/06/1999)
SPRINGFIELD, MO---Acting on behalf of an inmate, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed a class action lawsuit against county officials today, citing inhumane conditions at a jail in Ozark.

ACLU Urges Kansas Public Schools to Reject Religion-Based Evolution Teachings in Science Classes (08/13/1999)
TOPEKA, KA -- In a letter it is sending to public school districts across the state, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri today warned officials that the teaching of so-called "creation science" could lead to legal action on religious liberty grounds.

The Fish Must Go: Court Rules Missouri Must Remove Religious Symbol from City Logo (07/09/1999)
SPRINGFIELD, MO -- A federal judge today ruled that the city of Republic must remove the ichthus, a Christian symbol, from its city logo.