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“I think this law is really about trying to figure out who belongs in Kansas and who doesn’t,” Harper Seldin, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, told KAKE. “If S.B. 244 remains in effect, it’s a pretty clear statement that transgender Kansans don’t belong in Kansas and intersex people don’t belong in Kansas.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Kansas and Ballard Spahr LLP sued the state for alleged violations of the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process and freedom of speech. Gov. Laura Kelley also initially vetoed the bill before both the Kansas Senate and Kansas House of Representatives overrode the veto.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

The ACLU of Kansas responded to the court ruling and a statement can be found below: This is a disappointing denial of the rights of those most impacted by the current administration’s cruel crusade against students in Kansas to participate in a lawsuit that will directly impact their future. The court has allowed the Department of Justice, in collusion with Attorney General Kobach, to slam the door on hardworking Kansas students, even though Kansans have long supported providing all children in our state the opportunity to learn. Jessica Swonger, Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Kansas

The ACLU of Kansas issued a statement against the decision: “This is a disappointing denial of the rights of those most impacted by the current administration’s cruel crusade against students in Kansas to participate in a lawsuit that will directly impact their future.”

Jessica Swonger, staff attorney with the ACLU of Kansas, said the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the ACLU of Kansas filed a motion in July to intervene on behalf of students impacted by U.S. v. Kansas. “This is a disappointing denial of the rights of those most impacted by the current administration’s cruel crusade against students in Kansas to participate in a lawsuit that will directly impact their future,” Swonger said. “The court has allowed the Department of Justice, in collusion with Attorney General Kobach, to slam the door on hardworking Kansas students, even though Kansans have long supported providing all children in our state the opportunity to learn.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas on the same day put out a call to action, encouraging supporters to send a message to the governor, urging her to commute all remaining death sentences. In 2024, the ACLU tried to abolish the death penalty in Kansas through litigation. Commuting Kansas death sentences helps “confront the criminal justice system’s deep failures and stop further injustice,” the organization said.

According to the ACLU of Kansas, this extends to restrooms and locker rooms, with an additional provision that prohibits trans people from updating their driver’s licenses and state IDs to reflect their gender.

The ACLU of Kansas and partner groups sued Dodge City, in majority-minority Ford County, arguing its citywide elections diluted the votes of the city's Latino majority.