Kansas’ governor gets to defend birth certificate changes in court, a judge rules

By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge is considering Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s arguments that a new Kansas law rolling back transgender rights doesn’t bar the state from changing the sex listing on transgender people’s birth certificates. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled Tuesday that Kelly’s office can defend her administration’s policy of changing birth certificates and accepted its “friend of the court” arguments. Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach argues that a new state law effective July 1 prohibits such changes. The issue is before Crabtree because of a 2018 lawsuit filed by four transgender Kansas residents against a previous, no-changes policy. Kelly settled that lawsuit in 2019. Kobach wants Crabtree to reconsider the settlement.