It wasn’t surprising that U.S. District Judge Monti Belot refused to block the nomination of finalists for the Kansas Supreme Court. Four Kansans had filed suit claiming that the judicial-nominating process was too controlled by attorneys. But as Belot ruled, a preliminary injunction was not in the public interest and would interrupt a process that has been in place since the passage of a constitutional amendment in 1958. Belot must next rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the process. The selection process is also a campaign issue in the gubernatorial race. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., supports changing the process while Democratic challenger state Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, supports the existing system, which he says helps insulate the court from partisan politics.
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