This amendment would establish direct elections of Kansas Supreme Court justices, without any limits on campaign funding, conflicts of interest, or political activity by the justices. Discussions about changing judicial selection in Kansas started about 15 to 20 years ago because of court decisions requiring the Legislature to adopt constitutional funding for schools. Over the years, legislators from both parties resisted overthrowing the state Supreme Court. Right now, the primary qualifications for Supreme Court justices are lawyers’ reputation, their legal career and their judicial service record. Under these conditions, a lawyer with a rural Kansas background can compete with anybody.