“We believed Kansans four years ago when they voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights in the state constitution,” she said. The amendment would have replaced the current process with direct statewide elections for Kansas Supreme Court justices. Former Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss warned before the election that judicial candidates could become beholden to political donors instead of remaining independent from partisan influence. He has criticized the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 decision finding the state constitution protects abortion rights, arguing the court created rights not explicitly found in the constitution. “As you know, in our Kansas state courts, it has been an uphill battle on just about everything,” Kobach told a crowd.