Rules on signs, permits loosened for protests at Kansas statehouse after lawsuit
Handheld signs are no longer banned at the Kansas statehouse and permits are no longer needed for protests there, according to the terms of a recently-resolved lawsuit, announced by the American Civil Liberties Union Monday.
The lawsuit had been brought forward by three Kansas State University students who were temporarily barred from the capitol after displaying banners last year.
In March 2019, students Jonathan Cole, Katie Sullivan and Nathan Faflick were barred from the statehouse after unfurling “bloody” banners criticizing Republican leaders for opposing Medicaid expansion. Capitol officials abruptly lifted their penalty a day later.
But the students pressed on, taking their complaint to the ACLU and arguing their treatment violated the First Amendment.
On Monday, the ACLU of Kansas announced that the resulting lawsuit brought by the students had been resolved.
According to the terms of the dismissal, handheld signs are no longer banned, though they can’t be stuck to any surfaces in the building; individuals and groups no longer need a permit to hold protests or events at the statehouse as long as they don’t need to reserve a specific space; and Kansas Highway Patrol can ban people from the Statehouse for breaking the law, but not for a rules violation.
“Our clients got essentially everything they’d sought through the lawsuit,” said Lauren Bonds, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement Monday. “We are happy with the outcome and we are happy that Kansans can fully exercise their right to protest in the people’s house.”
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court against Duane Goossen, the administrative secretary of administration, Tom Day, the administrative services director, and Herman Jones, the superintendent of highway patrol.
The signs that led to the initial ban were up for only a few minutes before capitol security removed them from the fifth-floor rotunda. They displayed the names of Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, R-Overland Park, House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, and Rep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita.
The banners read “blood on their hands,” and were marked with red “bloody” handprints and #ExpandMedicaid.
“We wanted to make our statement in a very visual way and call attention to the leadership because we don’t believe the priorities are being heard and being met in a way that’s understood,” Faflick, one of the protestors, said at the time.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 11:14 AM.
