Kansas

Kansas Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Kelly v. Kobach case

Published

2 months ago

January 16, 2026

Kansas Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Kelly v. Kobach case

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and the legal team for Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly presented oral arguments to the Supreme Court in a case that could decide if the governor has authority to join legislation on her office’s behalf.

Kelly sued Kobach in October after Kobach filed an amicus brief, a legal document offering information or experience, in a lawsuit Kelly signed on as a party to. Kelly joined the suit, which is against the Trump administration over its collection of data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but Kobach’s brief said Kelly doesn’t have the right to enter a lawsuit representing Kansas.

“This case is about whether the Governor can intrude into the area where the Kansas Constitution says the Attorney General is the official who’s in charge, namely, litigating in court on behalf of Kansans,” Kobach told reporters after court adjourned.

The governor’s position in court is that she has a right to participate in legislation if it pertains to her duties as governor.

“What we’re simply asking for is that the governor be allowed to have a voice in litigation when the matters or the issues affect the executive branch and the agencies she’s in charge of,” said Stephen McAllister, an attorney for Kelly.

Kobach said the distinction between representing the state and representing the interest of Kansas’s executive agencies is usually nonexistent.

“They are trying to say there’s a difference between representing the interests of my agency and representing the state of Kansas. Ninety-nine percent of the time, there is no difference,” Kobach said.

The scope of Kelly’s authority was a point of contention. At the start of the hearing, McAllister conceded that their legal briefs “may not have always been completely clear.”

Kobach told the justices that the governor’s offices is retreating from the scope in its briefs, and they previously said they could direct the attorney general to sue and that they may litigate on behalf of the state.

Justices peppered both sides with questions throughout arguments. Justice Dan Biles questioned whether it could lead to too much power vested in the attorney general.

“Let’s assume the Department of Justice sues the Secretary of the (Kansas) Department of Children and Families in federal court over this SNAP business. Are you saying that you have the power as attorney general to go into that courtroom and confess judgment?” Biles asked.

They asked the governor’s counsel whether the matter is a “live controversy,” or an actual ongoing dispute rather than a hypothetical one.

“Would you concede that it is possible, hypothetically in cases, that the governor of any state in his or her official capacity would not have standing, it just depends on what’s the subject of the lawsuit,” Justice Caleb Stegall said. “I don’t see anything particularly nefarious about a different party saying this party over here doesn’t have standing.”

Biles questioned whether the matter couldn’t be resolved elsewhere.

“Is it really that big of a deal,” he said. “I don’t understand how we can have a Quo Warranto action that say the attorney general made a bad legal argument. And shouldn’t be able to make that legal argument,”

There’s no timeline for when the Kansas Supreme Court will have a final opinion in the case, but the Kelly administration was seeking a decision before a potential appeal in its SNAP case.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

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Kansas

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

Published

12 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. She also covers stories in the Northland. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in an early morning hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter March 21.

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash

Lee was turning left from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard onto Eastwood Trafficway when a car ran a red light and hit him. A small memorial now grows at the intersection.

Chris Morrison

Arthur Lee Jr, son of Arthur Lee Sr.

“Devastated. Everybody’s hurt, it was really unexpected,” his son Arthur Lee Jr. said. “I loved him to death. My dad was like my best friend.”

Lee was well known in the barbecue community, working as a pitmaster at Gates Bar-B-Q for the past eight years after spending two decades at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.

“He loved working at Gates,” Rose Qualls, Lee’s sister-in-law, said. “He was always making us slabs and turkey sandwiches.”

The morning of the incident, Lee was preparing to move into a new home with his wife and children, getting ready for a fresh start before a tragic end.

“He was really special, you know. He was one of a kind and everybody that he was around just loved him,” Qualls said. “It’s just a sad situation.”

Lee was 60 years old. His family said while his life was cut short, his flame will burn forever.

“My sister, she is really going through it, we all are,” Qualls said. “And I’m here for her, whatever she needs, when she need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter — Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter.

The family is pleading for answers and for the driver, who fled the scene, to come forward.

“I would pray that they would have some type of compassion, some type of heart, possibly turn themselves in,” Lee Jr. said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Kansas

Kansas felon sold meth to undercover officer multiple times

Published

24 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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Kansas felon sold meth to undercover officer multiple times

Fleming photo KDOC

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer, according to the United State’s Attorney.

According to court documents, Wayne F. Fleming, 41, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

In May 2021, Fleming sold drugs multiple times to an undercover officer with the Wichita Police Department. Testing by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center showed the total amount Fleming sold to the officer to be more than 200 grams of pure methamphetamine.

“Mr. Fleming was federally indicted in 2021, but before a plea agreement was reached, Mr. Fleming went to state prison to serve time for offenses unrelated to the federal case,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The Department of Justice doesn’t forget. Not long after his release from a state prison, Mr. Fleming is now an inmate in a federal prison.”

The Wichita Police Department investigated the case.

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Kansas

Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

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Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – A Kansas inmate will spend more time behind bars after a dispute over an extra slice of pizza turned physical.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson announced on Wednesday, March 25, that Wyatt C. Parnell, 42, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 16 additional months.

Prosecutors indicated that the sentence is the result of an attempt to assault a corrections officer during a December 2019 dining hall confrontation.

What Happened

Court records noted that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2019 – the day after Christmas – in the facility’s maximum-security dining room.

According to prosecutors, Parnell entered the dining hall, picked up a dinner tray and grabbed an extra slice of pizza from a separate tray.

A corrections officer repeatedly ordered him to put the tray down and leave the area; however, court documents revealed that Parnell refused.

Wyatt C. Parnell, 42(Kansas Department of Corrections)

When the officer moved to retrieve the tray and again ordered Parnell to leave, prosecutors said he yanked the tray away and threw it on the floor.

Parnell then tried to push past the officer to reach the serving line for another tray, according to court records.

The officer reported that they attempted to detain Parnell, but he resisted, leading to a physical fight.

The Charges & Sentence

Court records indicated that Parnell pleaded no contest to attempted aggravated battery. His new sentence will run consecutively – meaning it is added to the sentence he is already serving.

“Correctional facilities rely on order and compliance to maintain safety for both staff and inmates,” Thompson said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of disregarding lawful commands and engaging in behavior that puts others at risk.”