A Kansas state judge has issued an order halting the practice of allowing transgender individuals to change the sex listing on their driver’s licenses. The ruling comes ahead of the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general challenging the practice.
District Judge Teresa Watson issued the order in response to a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, against two officials in Governor Laura Kelly’s administration. The lawsuit was filed after Governor Kelly’s announcement that the state’s motor vehicles division would continue to permit changes to driver’s licenses for transgender individuals, aligning the sex listing with their gender identities. Kobach argues that a recently enacted law, effective July 1, prohibits such changes and mandates the reversal of any prior modifications in official records.
The order will remain in effect for up to two weeks, with the possibility of extension by Judge Watson. This development is significant as transgender individuals have been allowed to change their driver’s licenses for the past four years, and nearly 400 people have taken advantage of this provision.