SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man has been sentenced to a total of 295 months in prison for drug trafficking crimes, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, in March 2022, a federal jury convicted Travis Vontress, 45, of Wichita on one count each for conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine; one count of maintaining a drug involved premises;&nbsp;two counts of use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking crime;&nbsp;one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and&nbsp;one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

He is currently being held in the Harvey County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656449113852.png" alt="Vontress is being held in Harvey County" />
 <figcaption>Vontress is being held in Harvey County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man has been sentenced to a total of 295 months in prison for drug trafficking crimes, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, in March 2022, a federal jury convicted Travis Vontress, 45, of Wichita on one count each for conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine; one count of maintaining a drug involved premises;&nbsp;two counts of use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking crime;&nbsp;one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and&nbsp;one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.He is currently being held in the Harvey County Jail.

Kan. man sentenced for cocaine, heroin conspiracy

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/sfc-approves-state-worker-pay-raises-digs-into-bonuses-for-child-care-providers/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court waded into a simmering dispute Friday in the appraisal industry on valuing real property of big-box retails stores by overturning lower court decisions rejecting Johnson County’s evaluation of nine Walmart Inc. and two Sam’s Club stores.

The state’s highest court unanimously reversed a 2021 decision of the Kansas Court of Appeals and previous action by the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals that found the county overvalued the retailers’ property by tens of millions of dollars. The lower jurisdictions said the buildings should have been valued at what each would sell for if vacant or “dark” rather than at values that reflected earnings through lucrative lease agreements associated with those businesses.

Walmart took legal action to challenge methods used by Johnson County that resulted in 2016 and 2017 appraisals nearly double 2015 tax values for the properties. The case raised questions about whether standards set forth in law by the Kansas Legislature were appropriately applied.

After receiving Johnson County’s appraised value of the 11 properties, Walmart sought intervention by the state board of Tax Appeals. BOTA lowered valuations of each property and ordered Johnson County to refund overpayments for the 2016 and 2017 tax years.

Johnson County appealed to the state Court of Appeals by claiming BOTA incorrectly interpreted state law. The divided Court of Appeals, however, determined BOTA appropriately adhered to Kansas law. That took the case to the state Supreme Court, which issued an opinion instructing BOTA to reconsider the case by fully reviewing the county’s evidence on property appraisals.

Ed Eilert, chairman of the Johnson County Commission, said the state Supreme Court’s reversal of the Court of Appeals in the dark-store case would enable consideration of all evidence of market value.

“A Kansas Supreme Court decision on the valuation of big-box retailers is critical for local governments across the state of Kansas,” Eilert said. “This case has been about equity for taxpayers. Every property owner in Kansas, from the large retailer to the homeowner, should be treated equally as the Kansas Constitution requires. Equity is an important factor in property appraisal.”

Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the company would again make its case to BOTA in light of the state Supreme Court’s decision.

“While we disagree with the decision,” he said, “we look forward to asking the Board of Tax Appeals to reaffirm its prior findings about the proper assessed values of Walmart’s stores.”

Alan Cobb, president of the Kansas Chamber, expressed confidence BOTA would subsequently conclude Johnson County “overstepped its authority by drastically increasing big-box valuations.”

He said it was clear Johnson County’s government leaders and the county appraiser’s office disregarded state law when it “concocted the imaginary fairy-tale” theory of imposing property taxes on these retailers.

“Their absolute dishonesty in claiming that these companies did not want to pay their fair share of property taxes is particularly appalling,” Cobb said. “To blame retail businesses for skirting the law or their tax obligations is entirely false. It’s this type of deceitful behavior that leaves the public doubting the competency of some public officials.”

Justice Dan Biles, writing for the state Supreme Court, said the highly contested issue boiled down to deciding whether appraisals relying on build-to-suit lease data was admissible in Kansas. BOTA, relying on a 2012 state Court of Appeals decision in the Prieb Properties case, determined rental rates from commercial leases weren’t reflective of market conditions.

“We (state Supreme Court) hold Prieb’s rationale invades BOTA’s longstanding province as the fact finder in the statutory process for appraising real property at its fair market value,” Biles wrote. “By following Prieb, BOTA imposed an exclusionary rule on the county’s evidence rather than simply considering its weight and credibility.”

The state Supreme Court remanded the case to BOTA and instructed that board to evaluate the county’s evidence without Prieb’s constraints.

“Though BOTA may reach the same result on remand, that decision must be based on its own determinations of the facts and witness credibility,” Biles wrote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Kansas-Supreme-Court-group-pic-1024x547.png" alt="-he Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday in a legal dispute about how Johnson County appraised for property tax purposes Walmart and Sam’s Club retail stores. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Supreme Court website)" />
 <figcaption>-he Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday in a legal dispute about how Johnson County appraised for property tax purposes Walmart and Sam’s Club retail stores. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Supreme Court website)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/sfc-approves-state-worker-pay-raises-digs-into-bonuses-for-child-care-providers/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court waded into a simmering dispute Friday in the appraisal industry on valuing real property of big-box retails stores by overturning lower court decisions rejecting Johnson County’s evaluation of nine Walmart Inc. and two Sam’s Club stores.The state’s highest court unanimously reversed a 2021 decision of the Kansas Court of Appeals and previous action by the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals that found the county overvalued the retailers’ property by tens of millions of dollars. The lower jurisdictions said the buildings should have been valued at what each would sell for if vacant or “dark” rather than at values that reflected earnings through lucrative lease agreements associated with those businesses.Walmart took legal action to challenge methods used by Johnson County that resulted in 2016 and 2017 appraisals nearly double 2015 tax values for the properties. The case raised questions about whether standards set forth in law by the Kansas Legislature were appropriately applied.After receiving Johnson County’s appraised value of the 11 properties, Walmart sought intervention by the state board of Tax Appeals. BOTA lowered valuations of each property and ordered Johnson County to refund overpayments for the 2016 and 2017 tax years.Johnson County appealed to the state Court of Appeals by claiming BOTA incorrectly interpreted state law. The divided Court of Appeals, however, determined BOTA appropriately adhered to Kansas law. That took the case to the state Supreme Court, which issued an opinion instructing BOTA to reconsider the case by fully reviewing the county’s evidence on property appraisals.Ed Eilert, chairman of the Johnson County Commission, said the state Supreme Court’s reversal of the Court of Appeals in the dark-store case would enable consideration of all evidence of market value.“A Kansas Supreme Court decision on the valuation of big-box retailers is critical for local governments across the state of Kansas,” Eilert said. “This case has been about equity for taxpayers. Every property owner in Kansas, from the large retailer to the homeowner, should be treated equally as the Kansas Constitution requires. Equity is an important factor in property appraisal.”Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the company would again make its case to BOTA in light of the state Supreme Court’s decision.“While we disagree with the decision,” he said, “we look forward to asking the Board of Tax Appeals to reaffirm its prior findings about the proper assessed values of Walmart’s stores.”Alan Cobb, president of the Kansas Chamber, expressed confidence BOTA would subsequently conclude Johnson County “overstepped its authority by drastically increasing big-box valuations.”He said it was clear Johnson County’s government leaders and the county appraiser’s office disregarded state law when it “concocted the imaginary fairy-tale” theory of imposing property taxes on these retailers.“Their absolute dishonesty in claiming that these companies did not want to pay their fair share of property taxes is particularly appalling,” Cobb said. “To blame retail businesses for skirting the law or their tax obligations is entirely false. It’s this type of deceitful behavior that leaves the public doubting the competency of some public officials.”Justice Dan Biles, writing for the state Supreme Court, said the highly contested issue boiled down to deciding whether appraisals relying on build-to-suit lease data was admissible in Kansas. BOTA, relying on a 2012 state Court of Appeals decision in the Prieb Properties case, determined rental rates from commercial leases weren’t reflective of market conditions.“We (state Supreme Court) hold Prieb’s rationale invades BOTA’s longstanding province as the fact finder in the statutory process for appraising real property at its fair market value,” Biles wrote. “By following Prieb, BOTA imposed an exclusionary rule on the county’s evidence rather than simply considering its weight and credibility.”The state Supreme Court remanded the case to BOTA and instructed that board to evaluate the county’s evidence without Prieb’s constraints.“Though BOTA may reach the same result on remand, that decision must be based on its own determinations of the facts and witness credibility,” Biles wrote.

Kan. court reverses property tax decisions favorable to Walmart, Sam’s Club

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita Police Department has promoted an officer who killed an unarmed man in a “swatting” incident.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Shane%20Gaskell,%2023,%20pleaded%20guilty%20Tuesday%20in%20federal%20court%20to%20wire%20fraud%20in%20case%20that%20drew%20national%20attention%20to%20%E2%80%9Cswatting,%E2%80%9D%20during%20which%20a%20caller%20falsely%20reports%20a%20crime%20that%20is%20dangerous%20enough%20to%20send%20a%20SWAT%20team%20to%20the%20location,%20The%20Wichita%20Eagle%20reported.">The Wichita Eagle reported</a>&nbsp;Sunday that Justin Rapp was promoted to detective on June 25. Interim Chief Lem Moore said Rapp qualified for promotion based on written and oral examinations. He added that the killing didn’t disqualify Rapp for promotion since he wasn’t disciplined.

Rapp shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch in December 2017 while responding to a fake call of a hostage situation at Finch’s address. Rapp initially told detectives that he thought Finch had a gun but testified later that he didn’t see a weapon and shot him based on his hand motions.

Prosecutors declined to file charges against Rapp. City officials said the department followed procedures that night and Rapp was forced to make a split-second decision after the fake call led him to believe Finch had taken hostages and had killed at least one person.

Finch's death drew national attention to “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to descend on an address.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592601982960.png" alt="Police&nbsp; bodycamera view of the&nbsp; fatal shooting - photo Wichita PD" />
 <figcaption>Police&nbsp; bodycamera view of the&nbsp; fatal shooting - photo Wichita PD</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita Police Department has promoted an officer who killed an unarmed man in a “swatting” incident.<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Shane%20Gaskell,%2023,%20pleaded%20guilty%20Tuesday%20in%20federal%20court%20to%20wire%20fraud%20in%20case%20that%20drew%20national%20attention%20to%20%E2%80%9Cswatting,%E2%80%9D%20during%20which%20a%20caller%20falsely%20reports%20a%20crime%20that%20is%20dangerous%20enough%20to%20send%20a%20SWAT%20team%20to%20the%20location,%20The%20Wichita%20Eagle%20reported.">The Wichita Eagle reported</a>&nbsp;Sunday that Justin Rapp was promoted to detective on June 25. Interim Chief Lem Moore said Rapp qualified for promotion based on written and oral examinations. He added that the killing didn’t disqualify Rapp for promotion since he wasn’t disciplined.Rapp shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch in December 2017 while responding to a fake call of a hostage situation at Finch’s address. Rapp initially told detectives that he thought Finch had a gun but testified later that he didn’t see a weapon and shot him based on his hand motions.Prosecutors declined to file charges against Rapp. City officials said the department followed procedures that night and Rapp was forced to make a split-second decision after the fake call led him to believe Finch had taken hostages and had killed at least one person.Finch's death drew national attention to “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to descend on an address.

Police promote Kansas officer in fatal swatting incident

By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>

A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;

The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;

“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”

McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.

“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;

She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;

“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.

Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;

Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.

“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”

Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;

“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;

Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;

Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;

According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;

Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;

“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”

Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;

Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.

“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656361752974.png" alt="An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri." />
 <figcaption>An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri.</figcaption>
 </figure>By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;McDonald said he first heard a bang.“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656536759084.png" alt=" Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)" />
 <figcaption> Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)</figcaption>
 </figure>McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

Brother and sister recount ‘traumatizing’ Amtrak derailment

LAWRENCE — Opinion remains divided regarding how guns should factor into American society, especially those weapons designed for military warfare.

But what do actual soldiers think about this subject?

The surprising answers are explored in a new article titled&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ssqu.13145">“How Do Veterans View Gun Policies? Evidence from the Guns in American Life Survey.”</a>&nbsp;It appears in Social Science Quarterly.

“Many observers might expect veterans to be less supportive of gun control than other Americans since they are relatively conservative in terms of political identity,”&nbsp;said Margaret Kelley, professor of American studies at the University of Kansas.

“On average, vets — primarily those who have experienced combat — tend to be more receptive to some forms of gun control, such as restrictions on civilian access to military-style semiautomatic rifles and so-called ‘high-capacity’ magazines. They are also open to an extended waiting period of up to 14 days for the purchase of new handguns,” she said.

Co-written with Christopher Ellison and Pablo Gonzalez of the University of Texas at San Antonio and David Leal of the University of Texas, the article utilizes data gathered from Kelley and Ellison’s Guns in American Life Survey of 2018. This Qualtrics-run survey featuring input from more than 3,000 respondents explores numerous considerations that shape experiences and attitudes concerning firearms.

“The survey had lots of questions about gun experiences and lifestyles, social attitudes and firearm policy preferences, and it took about 30 minutes to complete online,” said Kelley, who noted the assessment is unique due to the amount of female gun owners involved.

Her article discusses how guns are fundamentally “demystified” for those in the military, which may account for their being perceived more as a tool than as an object of empowerment.

“Demystified means, among other things, setting aside the politics of guns and allowing someone to focus on gaining practical knowledge and becoming a competent user,” she said.

“Soldiers learn at least the basics about firearms when they enlist, even if their service does not require regular use or combat. Veterans leave service with vastly different experiences, but this minimum training is ensured. While it is recommended by firearms instructors that gun owners practice and seek out training on an ongoing basis, civilians are not required by law to do so,” she said.

Kelley found several factors accounting for why veterans were more prone to embrace certain rifle/magazine bans and extended waiting periods.

“While they support these limits, combat veterans also tend to be more supportive of expanded gun-carrying rights for civilians, including what is called 'constitutional carry' — or permit-less — that we have in Kansas and a growing number of other states,” she said.

Although the reasons for this seeming paradox are unclear, Kelley speculated that significant numbers of veterans may see public safety benefits to restricting widespread civilian access to powerful, highly destructive weapons, at least without proper vetting.

“At the same time, it is likely that they have learned, witnessed and practiced the safe and responsible carrying of firearms,” she said. “They have also put their lives on the line to defend America and our Constitution, including the Second Amendment. They may be reluctant to surrender those rights upon returning to civilian life.”&nbsp;

Now in her seventh year at KU, Kelley is not a military veteran— but her father was.

“My dad was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany for two years, followed by six years in the reserves. As kids, we used to sleep in his Army-issued pup tent in the backyard until it finally fell apart. It wasn’t until after he died that I learned he earned sharpshooter qualification in the Army,” she said.

The professor is tapping her Guns in American Life Survey research for a larger book project specifically focusing on the average woman firearm user in middle America.

“I think we have to ask, 'Why do some Americans love guns so much?'” she said.

“Some Americans love guns, and some hate them. Some connect them to individual freedom, and others are more interested in the sport of guns. Others believe we should get rid of all guns. Concerns about self-defense can be universal, meaning that anyone can have that need, and increasing numbers of people are acquiring guns for that reason,” Kelley said. “There are just so many narratives. From some of my research, I would say that for most owners, guns are just one part of life, not a core identity, and not something they love but something they value.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://news.ku.edu/sites/news.ku.edu/files/images/general/2022_news/june/Veterans%20and%20Guns.jpg" alt="A U.S. soldier provides perimeter security outside an Iraqi police station in the Tarmiya Province of Iraq in this 2008 image from the Department of Defense. The soldier was not involved with the KU study. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense)" />
 <figcaption>A U.S. soldier provides perimeter security outside an Iraqi police station in the Tarmiya Province of Iraq in this 2008 image from the Department of Defense. The soldier was not involved with the KU study. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense)</figcaption>
 </figure>KU News ServiceLAWRENCE — Opinion remains divided regarding how guns should factor into American society, especially those weapons designed for military warfare.But what do actual soldiers think about this subject?The surprising answers are explored in a new article titled&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ssqu.13145">“How Do Veterans View Gun Policies? Evidence from the Guns in American Life Survey.”</a>&nbsp;It appears in Social Science Quarterly.“Many observers might expect veterans to be less supportive of gun control than other Americans since they are relatively conservative in terms of political identity,”&nbsp;said Margaret Kelley, professor of American studies at the University of Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655758064202.jpeg" alt="Margaret Kelley (Photo by KU)" />
 <figcaption>Margaret Kelley (Photo by KU)</figcaption>
 </figure>“On average, vets — primarily those who have experienced combat — tend to be more receptive to some forms of gun control, such as restrictions on civilian access to military-style semiautomatic rifles and so-called ‘high-capacity’ magazines. They are also open to an extended waiting period of up to 14 days for the purchase of new handguns,” she said.Co-written with Christopher Ellison and Pablo Gonzalez of the University of Texas at San Antonio and David Leal of the University of Texas, the article utilizes data gathered from Kelley and Ellison’s Guns in American Life Survey of 2018. This Qualtrics-run survey featuring input from more than 3,000 respondents explores numerous considerations that shape experiences and attitudes concerning firearms.“The survey had lots of questions about gun experiences and lifestyles, social attitudes and firearm policy preferences, and it took about 30 minutes to complete online,” said Kelley, who noted the assessment is unique due to the amount of female gun owners involved.Her article discusses how guns are fundamentally “demystified” for those in the military, which may account for their being perceived more as a tool than as an object of empowerment.“Demystified means, among other things, setting aside the politics of guns and allowing someone to focus on gaining practical knowledge and becoming a competent user,” she said.“Soldiers learn at least the basics about firearms when they enlist, even if their service does not require regular use or combat. Veterans leave service with vastly different experiences, but this minimum training is ensured. While it is recommended by firearms instructors that gun owners practice and seek out training on an ongoing basis, civilians are not required by law to do so,” she said.Kelley found several factors accounting for why veterans were more prone to embrace certain rifle/magazine bans and extended waiting periods.“While they support these limits, combat veterans also tend to be more supportive of expanded gun-carrying rights for civilians, including what is called 'constitutional carry' — or permit-less — that we have in Kansas and a growing number of other states,” she said.Although the reasons for this seeming paradox are unclear, Kelley speculated that significant numbers of veterans may see public safety benefits to restricting widespread civilian access to powerful, highly destructive weapons, at least without proper vetting.“At the same time, it is likely that they have learned, witnessed and practiced the safe and responsible carrying of firearms,” she said. “They have also put their lives on the line to defend America and our Constitution, including the Second Amendment. They may be reluctant to surrender those rights upon returning to civilian life.”&nbsp;Now in her seventh year at KU, Kelley is not a military veteran— but her father was.“My dad was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany for two years, followed by six years in the reserves. As kids, we used to sleep in his Army-issued pup tent in the backyard until it finally fell apart. It wasn’t until after he died that I learned he earned sharpshooter qualification in the Army,” she said.The professor is tapping her Guns in American Life Survey research for a larger book project specifically focusing on the average woman firearm user in middle America.So why do Americans love guns so much?“I think we have to ask, 'Why do some Americans love guns so much?'” she said.“Some Americans love guns, and some hate them. Some connect them to individual freedom, and others are more interested in the sport of guns. Others believe we should get rid of all guns. Concerns about self-defense can be universal, meaning that anyone can have that need, and increasing numbers of people are acquiring guns for that reason,” Kelley said. “There are just so many narratives. From some of my research, I would say that for most owners, guns are just one part of life, not a core identity, and not something they love but something they value.”

Research: Vets often favor more restrictive gun control legislation than civilians

BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.

On June 30, the El Dorado Police Department, executed a search warrant on a home in El Dorado as part of an investigation reported by way of a cyber tip, received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), alleging the sexual exploitation of children through the use of electronic devices, according to a media release.

This search warrant led to the arrest of 29-year-old Adam Mefford of El Dorado, and charges have been filed through the Butler County District Court. 

The El Dorado Police Department is now an affiliate with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. This will greatly benefit the community in addressing this particular heinous crime. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656711351129.png" alt="Mefford" />
 <figcaption>Mefford</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.On June 30, the El Dorado Police Department, executed a search warrant on a home in El Dorado as part of an investigation reported by way of a cyber tip, received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), alleging the sexual exploitation of children through the use of electronic devices, according to a media release.This search warrant led to the arrest of 29-year-old Adam Mefford of El Dorado, and charges have been filed through the Butler County District Court. The El Dorado Police Department is now an affiliate with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. This will greatly benefit the community in addressing this particular heinous crime.

Cyber tip leads to arrest of Kan. man for alleged child sex crimes

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.

Just before 12:30p.m. Thursday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop just north of the U.S. 75, Kansas 268, Kansas 31 highway roundabout for a traffic violation, according to a media release.

During the stop, deputies found illegal narcotics and stolen property.

A passenger in the vehicle, Jason V. Spaniol, 44, of Lawrence, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of stolen property, possession of heroin, methamphetamine&nbsp; and drug paraphernalia and and a Kansas Department of Corrections parole violation warrant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656708328916.png" alt="Spaniol-photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Spaniol-photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.Just before 12:30p.m. Thursday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop just north of the U.S. 75, Kansas 268, Kansas 31 highway roundabout for a traffic violation, according to a media release.During the stop, deputies found illegal narcotics and stolen property.A passenger in the vehicle, Jason V. Spaniol, 44, of Lawrence, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of stolen property, possession of heroin, methamphetamine&nbsp; and drug paraphernalia and and a Kansas Department of Corrections parole violation warrant.

Wanted Kansas man caught with heroin, stolen property

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-29/your-employer-is-trying-to-wrestle-the-health-care-industry-it-is-losing">Kansas News Service</a>

One Topeka engineering firm does what it can to fight the ballooning cost of health care for its workers.

Bartlett &amp; West — owned by its 350 employees across seven states — is trying a slew of approaches.

It
 has a wellness program. It tries to make preventive care easy to get. 
It pays its employees’ medical bills itself, rather than buying coverage
 from insurance companies.

And yet, year after year, its premiums climb.

“My
 fear is that the company will not be able to continue to absorb as much
 of that cost,” human resources benefits partner at Bartlett &amp; West, Kim Walker, said at a forum this month on employers and health care, hosted 
by the Kansas Health Institute.

Updated July 20 to correct Walker's title.

“I envision that, unfortunately, 
we’re going to have to reduce benefits,” she said, “and most especially 
pass on more costs to our employee-owners and their families.”

Employers in Kansas struggle to offer affordable health insurance. It gets harder and harder.

A <a href="https://www.khi.org/policy/article/22-24" target="_blank">new report</a>
 finds premiums for health plans through private-sector jobs rose nearly
 40% from 2010 to 2020. That’s twice as fast as general inflation.

Average
 yearly premiums in the state were nearly $12,000 as of 2020, the Kansas
 Health Institute report says. That’s typical across the country, but it
 takes a bigger bite out of paychecks here, where wages run below the 
national average.

(The institute receives funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, a funder of the Kansas News Service.)

Workers
 now shoulder a bigger share of their premiums than they did a decade 
ago, too. Fewer are even bothering to enroll in their employer’s health 
plans.

Phillip Steiner, a senior analyst at the institute, said premiums 
could rise even faster now that we’ve moved out of a low-inflation 
economy.

“If anything, it’s going up faster,” he said. “Now we’re in a very high-inflation environment.”

The more employees spend on premiums, the less they can sock away from their paychecks or put toward out-of-pocket costs.

A recent Commonwealth report ranks Kansas and Missouri in the five states where people with work-based insurance face combined <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/health/2022-01-24/yes-more-and-more-of-your-paycheck-goes-to-health-care-in-kansas-and-missouri-heres-why" target="_blank">premiums and deductibles that top $9,000 a year on average.</a>

The
 growing costs facing Kansas employers and employees illustrate the 
stakes in U.S. health care, where annual spending grows much faster than
 broader economic inflation.

Research pins much of the blame on plain old <a href="https://healthcostinstitute.org/images/pdfs/HCCI_2019_Health_Care_Cost_and_Utilization_Report.pdf" target="_blank">hikes in the prices</a> that doctors, hospitals, labs and the pharmaceutical supply chain charge for their services.

Those
 hikes mean the health care sector consumes an ever bigger slice of 
America’s economic pie. Public and private employers alike struggle to 
get much leverage against the industry.

In 1980, U.S. health spending was 9% of gross domestic national product. By 2000, it hit 13%. In 2018, it was <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm" target="_blank">nearly 18%</a>.

The upshot often comes in the form of higher deductibles.

Just this year, Bartlett &amp; West added a high-deductible health plan with a <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/health-savings-account-hsa/" target="_blank">health savings account</a>, Walker said.

Currently, it’s just one choice
 available to employees. But the goal is to help them get familiar with 
the plan design — because high deductibles may soon become the only option.

“We
 think that that could be a future for all of our employees,” Walker 
said. “And we don’t want to have to implement a type of plan like that 
and not prepare them for what that is and what that would involve.”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656515264618.png" alt="Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-29/your-employer-is-trying-to-wrestle-the-health-care-industry-it-is-losing">Kansas News Service</a>One Topeka engineering firm does what it can to fight the ballooning cost of health care for its workers.Bartlett &amp; West — owned by its 350 employees across seven states — is trying a slew of approaches.It
 has a wellness program. It tries to make preventive care easy to get. 
It pays its employees’ medical bills itself, rather than buying coverage
 from insurance companies.And yet, year after year, its premiums climb.“My
 fear is that the company will not be able to continue to absorb as much
 of that cost,” human resources benefits partner at Bartlett &amp; West, Kim Walker, said at a forum this month on employers and health care, hosted 
by the Kansas Health Institute.Updated July 20 to correct Walker's title.“I envision that, unfortunately, 
we’re going to have to reduce benefits,” she said, “and most especially 
pass on more costs to our employee-owners and their families.”Employers in Kansas struggle to offer affordable health insurance. It gets harder and harder.A <a href="https://www.khi.org/policy/article/22-24" target="_blank">new report</a>
 finds premiums for health plans through private-sector jobs rose nearly
 40% from 2010 to 2020. That’s twice as fast as general inflation.Average
 yearly premiums in the state were nearly $12,000 as of 2020, the Kansas
 Health Institute report says. That’s typical across the country, but it
 takes a bigger bite out of paychecks here, where wages run below the 
national average.(The institute receives funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, a funder of the Kansas News Service.)Workers
 now shoulder a bigger share of their premiums than they did a decade 
ago, too. Fewer are even bothering to enroll in their employer’s health 
plans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>Phillip Steiner, a senior analyst at the institute, said premiums 
could rise even faster now that we’ve moved out of a low-inflation 
economy.“If anything, it’s going up faster,” he said. “Now we’re in a very high-inflation environment.”The more employees spend on premiums, the less they can sock away from their paychecks or put toward out-of-pocket costs.A recent Commonwealth report ranks Kansas and Missouri in the five states where people with work-based insurance face combined <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/health/2022-01-24/yes-more-and-more-of-your-paycheck-goes-to-health-care-in-kansas-and-missouri-heres-why" target="_blank">premiums and deductibles that top $9,000 a year on average.</a>The
 growing costs facing Kansas employers and employees illustrate the 
stakes in U.S. health care, where annual spending grows much faster than
 broader economic inflation.Research pins much of the blame on plain old <a href="https://healthcostinstitute.org/images/pdfs/HCCI_2019_Health_Care_Cost_and_Utilization_Report.pdf" target="_blank">hikes in the prices</a> that doctors, hospitals, labs and the pharmaceutical supply chain charge for their services.Those
 hikes mean the health care sector consumes an ever bigger slice of 
America’s economic pie. Public and private employers alike struggle to 
get much leverage against the industry.In 1980, U.S. health spending was 9% of gross domestic national product. By 2000, it hit 13%. In 2018, it was <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm" target="_blank">nearly 18%</a>.The upshot often comes in the form of higher deductibles.Just this year, Bartlett &amp; West added a high-deductible health plan with a <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/health-savings-account-hsa/" target="_blank">health savings account</a>, Walker said.Currently, it’s just one choice
 available to employees. But the goal is to help them get familiar with 
the plan design — because high deductibles may soon become the only option.“We
 think that that could be a future for all of our employees,” Walker 
said. “And we don’t want to have to implement a type of plan like that 
and not prepare them for what that is and what that would involve.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Employers in Kansas wrestling with health care industry — and losing

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for drug crimes.

&nbsp;On June 29, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 600 Block of SW Medford in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell

&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

As a result, Larry Hines, 71, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulants, Distribution within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent of distribution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656599998332.png" alt="Hines-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Hines-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for drug crimes.&nbsp;On June 29, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 600 Block of SW Medford in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.As a result, Larry Hines, 71, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulants, Distribution within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent of distribution.

Police: 71-year-old Kan. man found with crack cocaine, marijuana

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A local government in Kansas has agreed to pay $12.5 million to a man and his mother after he spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, approved the settlement Thursday and said in a statement Friday that it admits no guilt in the wrongful conviction and two life sentences of Lamonte McIntyre in the mid 1990s.

McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f0aeacf5fd0e4297a8d7b0ca4cda363e">McIntyre was freed in 2017</a>&nbsp;after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges, calling his case an example of “manifest injustice.” Prosecutors presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case largely hinged on testimony that was allegedly coerced.

The following year, McIntyre and his mother sued the unified government and former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, who they have accused, along with other police, of framing McIntyre for the killings. Their lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-kansas-city-kansas-7b4c4af7410f67d20fd19cb2e9235aad">sought up to $123 million</a>&nbsp;in damages.

McIntyre and his mother have said Golubski coerced her into sex and then framed her teenage son for the double homicide because she rejected the detective’s later sexual advances. They also allege Golubski abused dozens of Black women for years and many officers were aware of his conduct.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-kansas-city-kansas-4d005737c9046b7d65363a6e82f93493">Federal authorities are investigating Golubski,</a>&nbsp;and the Kansas City, Kansas, police department revealed last October that it had been responding to subpoenas from the FBI since 2019 involving allegations against Golubski.

Golubski has denied the allegations. His attorney, Morgan Roach of Kansas City, did not immediately return phone messages left Friday at his office and on his cellphone seeking comment.

Thursday's settlement also resolves the lawsuit against Golubski, said attorney Cheryl Pilate, who represents McIntyre and his mother.

“Lamonte now hopes to put this painful chapter behind him and move forward with his life,” Pilate said in an email. “Lamonte remains deeply committed to the cause of justice, particularly in Wyandotte County, and will continue to be a voice for those who have suffered wrongful convictions or other injustices.”

In 2020, McIntyre was awarded a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03a51b0fe56481f586ef8e031d2ffc2c">certificate of innocence</a>&nbsp;and $1.5 million from Kansas after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5f6cd02cf633461eb20338733a76d398?utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow">the state attorney general's office initially fought his compensation claim</a>. McIntyre now lives in Arizona.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583330843112.png" alt="Lamont McIntyre photo by Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Lamont McIntyre photo by Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A local government in Kansas has agreed to pay $12.5 million to a man and his mother after he spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit.The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, approved the settlement Thursday and said in a statement Friday that it admits no guilt in the wrongful conviction and two life sentences of Lamonte McIntyre in the mid 1990s.McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f0aeacf5fd0e4297a8d7b0ca4cda363e">McIntyre was freed in 2017</a>&nbsp;after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges, calling his case an example of “manifest injustice.” Prosecutors presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case largely hinged on testimony that was allegedly coerced.The following year, McIntyre and his mother sued the unified government and former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, who they have accused, along with other police, of framing McIntyre for the killings. Their lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-kansas-city-kansas-7b4c4af7410f67d20fd19cb2e9235aad">sought up to $123 million</a>&nbsp;in damages.McIntyre and his mother have said Golubski coerced her into sex and then framed her teenage son for the double homicide because she rejected the detective’s later sexual advances. They also allege Golubski abused dozens of Black women for years and many officers were aware of his conduct.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-kansas-city-kansas-4d005737c9046b7d65363a6e82f93493">Federal authorities are investigating Golubski,</a>&nbsp;and the Kansas City, Kansas, police department revealed last October that it had been responding to subpoenas from the FBI since 2019 involving allegations against Golubski.Golubski has denied the allegations. His attorney, Morgan Roach of Kansas City, did not immediately return phone messages left Friday at his office and on his cellphone seeking comment.Thursday's settlement also resolves the lawsuit against Golubski, said attorney Cheryl Pilate, who represents McIntyre and his mother.“Lamonte now hopes to put this painful chapter behind him and move forward with his life,” Pilate said in an email. “Lamonte remains deeply committed to the cause of justice, particularly in Wyandotte County, and will continue to be a voice for those who have suffered wrongful convictions or other injustices.”In 2020, McIntyre was awarded a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03a51b0fe56481f586ef8e031d2ffc2c">certificate of innocence</a>&nbsp;and $1.5 million from Kansas after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5f6cd02cf633461eb20338733a76d398?utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow">the state attorney general's office initially fought his compensation claim</a>. McIntyre now lives in Arizona.

Kansas wrongful conviction lawsuit reaches $12.5M settlement

OTTAWA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids had a backdrop of cattle, horses and wide-open spaces while speaking Wednesday night from a farmhouse porch to Franklin County Democrats about forming alliances in the state’s newly gerrymandered 3rd congressional district.

Davids, of course, is seeking reelection in a district dramatically altered from just two years ago, when she thumped Republican Amanda Adkins by 42,000 votes and a 53.6% to 43.5% margin.

The requirement to redraw congressional boundaries in Kansas enabled legislative allies of Adkins, who is taking another shot at Davids, to delete the top half of Democrat-rich Wyandotte County from her district and replace it with Republican-dominant counties of Miami, Anderson and Franklin. It was enough of a swing Davids sought and obtained a seat on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

“I want to introduce myself to you all tonight and start building the relationships we’re going to want and also what we’re going to need to have so that we can get our state moving in the best direction for, you know, the kids, the grandkids and those future generations,” she said.

This wasn’t a news conference or photo opportunity near a clogged highway in Johnson County or Kansas City, Kansas. This was an appeal to voters in the quiet, shaded lawn of educators Scott Yeargain and Polly Shteamer off a gravel road southeast of Ottawa. She began speaking to an audience of 90 sitting on folding chairs while they finished potluck dinners. The iced tea and soft drinks were available on a hay wagon.

Davids talked about being raised by a single mother, Crystal, who was at the event. She chronicled her experiences with college, law school, a White House fellowship and working on tribal issues at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

In 2018, she struggled to recruit a woman in the Democratic Party to challenge GOP incumbent U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, who was endorsed by Donald Trump. So, she ran herself. She won a six-person primary and defeated Yoder by nearly 30,000 votes.

“I hope you can see how — although on paper it’s not super clear — how someone like me ends up in Congress. I actually think paths should look more like that than the current path that we usually see of people who are representing us in the House, the Senate and the White House,” Davids said.

She said Aug. 2 primary ballots across Kansas included an amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would reverse a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision declaring a right to abortion existed in the state’s Bill of Rights. She opposes the amendment and was startled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week striking down the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide.

“We’re the first state in the country to have voters make their voices heard on this,” Davids said to applause. “With the things we’re seeing in so many other places that are so extreme, I think if — not if — when we beat back this amendment, we can send literally waves of hope through the entire rest of the country. We can do that right from the heartland.

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Holland, a Democrat who served as mayor of the Unified Government in Wyandotte County, started his stump speech by declaring lineage as a fourth-generation union Democrat and third-generation United Methodist pastor.

He said Kansas needed representatives in Washington, D.C., who understood what Americans had in common was greater than what divided them. In faith communities, he said, members didn’t segregate themselves in pews by partisan affiliation. Folks in church who disagreed philosophically worshiped together, sang in the choir together and worked in the food pantry together.

“We all want the same thing,” he said. “We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunity for our children. And, we all want to live in a community that we can be proud of.”

He’s campaigning against five other people to be the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican who has served in Congress since 1997.

“Jerry Moran talks a moderate game, but in fact he has voted with everyone on the extremist side,” Holland said.

Holland, of Kansas City, said a frequent question on the campaign trail centered on how he expected to defeated Moran. The inquiries come from discouraged Kansans who don’t recall Democrats won three of the five past races for governor, he said.

He said the winning strategy had to focus on nominating quality candidates and getting out the vote. Five counties in Kansas hold half the state’s votes, he said, while 10 counties possessed two-thirds of the total.

“Laura Kelly won four years ago by winning nine out of 105 counties,” he said. “We need to win the big 10. In the other 95, where there are one-third of the votes, we need to take a chapter out of Stacey Abrams’ book in Georgia and be willing to lose less badly.”

Two rivals of Holland — Patrick Wiesner of Overland Park and Robert Klingenberg of Salina — were on hand to address the after-dinner group of Democrats.

Wiesner, who has campaign for U.S. Senate twice before, said if elected he would be committed to creation of quality manufacturing jobs and a robust K-12 education system. He said it was sad Trump still held sway over the Republican Party.

“Kansas is the state that gave this country Dwight Eisenhower, Father Emil Kapaun and Amelia Earhart,” he said. “These heroes stand for leadership and sacrifice and courage. Trump is a draft dodger who purposely doesn’t pay his contractors and he hires porn stars.”

Klingenberg, who worked as a truck driver, said corporate oligarchs should provide a living wage to workers because “everybody deserves the America we were promised when growing up.” He said time had come for universal health care in the United States.

Lynn Rogers, the Democratic state treasurer seeking election to that statewide office, said he had a career as an agriculture banker and served 16 years on the Wichita school board before elected to the Kansas Senate and lieutenant governor as Kelly’s running mate. He was subsequently appointed by Kelly to the vacant job of treasurer.

“Never really planned to go to Topeka,” he told the crowd. “I always kind of thought it was a bubble and people acted kind of different.”

He doesn’t have a primary opponent, but would face winner of a GOP primary between state Rep. Steven Johnson of Assaria and state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker. The field includes Libertarian candidate Steve Roberts. Johnson, Rogers said, models himself as a moderate but votes with the “far right” 97% of the time. He said Tyson voted with extreme Republicans “125% of the time.” Roberts, a former state Board of Education member, fit the same mold.

“We know it’s going to be hard-fought,” Rogers said. “We know that a strong state treasurer’s race, particularly me being from Wichita, will help many of our Democrats statewide. We need every Democrat, every independent and what I call principled Republican to say, ‘We don’t want to go back. We cannot afford to go back'” to policies championed by Gov. Sam Brownback.

Darrell McCune, the Democratic Party chairman in Franklin County, said he was energized after doubling the number of Democrats signed up to serve in county precinct positions. In this election cycle, he said, the tally increased from 10 to 21.

“The county party has been really growing since 2016,” said McCune, a retired school music teacher who is running for the 59th District Kansas House seat left vacant by departure of GOP Rep. Blaine Finch of Ottawa. “It’s fun.”

He said Democrats in the county were expanding door-to-door operations. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade prompted young women to call about volunteering during the current election cycle.

Nina Fricke, who lives in northern Miami County, said she had been represented by Davids for nearly four years.

“I have never in my life seen a representative work so hard,” she said. “I really hope we can get her in so you all can get to know her.”

Fricke, running for the District 6 seat in the Kansas House, has worked for 35 years as a nurse specializing in newborn intensive care. She said political debates at the Capitol on the COVID-19 pandemic and funding of K-12 public schools were troubling.

“This last year I watched the Legislature very, very closely. I didn’t like what I saw,” she said. “Saw a lot of really bad medical information being given. And, I also saw an awful lot of attacks on public education.”

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/sfc-approves-state-worker-pay-raises-digs-into-bonuses-for-child-care-providers/">Kansas Reflector</a><figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Sharice-Davids-Ottawa-1024x768.jpg" alt="&nbsp;U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the 3rd District Democrat, speaks to newly acquired constituents in Franklin County as she introduced herself to voters in a district gerrymandered by Republicans to undermine her reelection in 2022. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the 3rd District Democrat, speaks to newly acquired constituents in Franklin County as she introduced herself to voters in a district gerrymandered by Republicans to undermine her reelection in 2022. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>OTTAWA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids had a backdrop of cattle, horses and wide-open spaces while speaking Wednesday night from a farmhouse porch to Franklin County Democrats about forming alliances in the state’s newly gerrymandered 3rd congressional district.Davids, of course, is seeking reelection in a district dramatically altered from just two years ago, when she thumped Republican Amanda Adkins by 42,000 votes and a 53.6% to 43.5% margin.The requirement to redraw congressional boundaries in Kansas enabled legislative allies of Adkins, who is taking another shot at Davids, to delete the top half of Democrat-rich Wyandotte County from her district and replace it with Republican-dominant counties of Miami, Anderson and Franklin. It was enough of a swing Davids sought and obtained a seat on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.“I want to introduce myself to you all tonight and start building the relationships we’re going to want and also what we’re going to need to have so that we can get our state moving in the best direction for, you know, the kids, the grandkids and those future generations,” she said.This wasn’t a news conference or photo opportunity near a clogged highway in Johnson County or Kansas City, Kansas. This was an appeal to voters in the quiet, shaded lawn of educators Scott Yeargain and Polly Shteamer off a gravel road southeast of Ottawa. She began speaking to an audience of 90 sitting on folding chairs while they finished potluck dinners. The iced tea and soft drinks were available on a hay wagon.<h2>‘Waves of hope’</h2>Davids talked about being raised by a single mother, Crystal, who was at the event. She chronicled her experiences with college, law school, a White House fellowship and working on tribal issues at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.In 2018, she struggled to recruit a woman in the Democratic Party to challenge GOP incumbent U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, who was endorsed by Donald Trump. So, she ran herself. She won a six-person primary and defeated Yoder by nearly 30,000 votes.“I hope you can see how — although on paper it’s not super clear — how someone like me ends up in Congress. I actually think paths should look more like that than the current path that we usually see of people who are representing us in the House, the Senate and the White House,” Davids said.She said Aug. 2 primary ballots across Kansas included an amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would reverse a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision declaring a right to abortion existed in the state’s Bill of Rights. She opposes the amendment and was startled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week striking down the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide.“We’re the first state in the country to have voters make their voices heard on this,” Davids said to applause. “With the things we’re seeing in so many other places that are so extreme, I think if — not if — when we beat back this amendment, we can send literally waves of hope through the entire rest of the country. We can do that right from the heartland.<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mark-Holland-U.S.-Senate-1024x768.jpg" alt="U.S. Senate candidate Mark Holland, a Democrat who served as mayor of the Unified Government in Wyandotte County, said during a campaign near Ottawa that Democrats could win statewide campaigns in Kansas by defeating GOP nominees in the state’s 10 largest population counties and losing respectably in the other 95 counties. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Senate candidate Mark Holland, a Democrat who served as mayor of the Unified Government in Wyandotte County, said during a campaign near Ottawa that Democrats could win statewide campaigns in Kansas by defeating GOP nominees in the state’s 10 largest population counties and losing respectably in the other 95 counties. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Abrams’ playbook</h2>U.S. Senate candidate Mark Holland, a Democrat who served as mayor of the Unified Government in Wyandotte County, started his stump speech by declaring lineage as a fourth-generation union Democrat and third-generation United Methodist pastor.He said Kansas needed representatives in Washington, D.C., who understood what Americans had in common was greater than what divided them. In faith communities, he said, members didn’t segregate themselves in pews by partisan affiliation. Folks in church who disagreed philosophically worshiped together, sang in the choir together and worked in the food pantry together.“We all want the same thing,” he said. “We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunity for our children. And, we all want to live in a community that we can be proud of.”He’s campaigning against five other people to be the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican who has served in Congress since 1997.“Jerry Moran talks a moderate game, but in fact he has voted with everyone on the extremist side,” Holland said.Holland, of Kansas City, said a frequent question on the campaign trail centered on how he expected to defeated Moran. The inquiries come from discouraged Kansans who don’t recall Democrats won three of the five past races for governor, he said.He said the winning strategy had to focus on nominating quality candidates and getting out the vote. Five counties in Kansas hold half the state’s votes, he said, while 10 counties possessed two-thirds of the total.“Laura Kelly won four years ago by winning nine out of 105 counties,” he said. “We need to win the big 10. In the other 95, where there are one-third of the votes, we need to take a chapter out of Stacey Abrams’ book in Georgia and be willing to lose less badly.”<h2>And, porn stars</h2>Two rivals of Holland — Patrick Wiesner of Overland Park and Robert Klingenberg of Salina — were on hand to address the after-dinner group of Democrats.Wiesner, who has campaign for U.S. Senate twice before, said if elected he would be committed to creation of quality manufacturing jobs and a robust K-12 education system. He said it was sad Trump still held sway over the Republican Party.“Kansas is the state that gave this country Dwight Eisenhower, Father Emil Kapaun and Amelia Earhart,” he said. “These heroes stand for leadership and sacrifice and courage. Trump is a draft dodger who purposely doesn’t pay his contractors and he hires porn stars.”Klingenberg, who worked as a truck driver, said corporate oligarchs should provide a living wage to workers because “everybody deserves the America we were promised when growing up.” He said time had come for universal health care in the United States.<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Robert-McCune-Franklin-County-1024x768.jpg" alt="Darrell McCune, standing right, the Democratic Party chairman in Franklin County and a candidate for the Kansas House, said young people were invigorated by demise of Roe v. Wade to volunteer in the current election cycle. He said the county’s Democratic Party had been growing since 2016. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Darrell McCune, standing right, the Democratic Party chairman in Franklin County and a candidate for the Kansas House, said young people were invigorated by demise of Roe v. Wade to volunteer in the current election cycle. He said the county’s Democratic Party had been growing since 2016. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Remember Brownback</h2>Lynn Rogers, the Democratic state treasurer seeking election to that statewide office, said he had a career as an agriculture banker and served 16 years on the Wichita school board before elected to the Kansas Senate and lieutenant governor as Kelly’s running mate. He was subsequently appointed by Kelly to the vacant job of treasurer.“Never really planned to go to Topeka,” he told the crowd. “I always kind of thought it was a bubble and people acted kind of different.”He doesn’t have a primary opponent, but would face winner of a GOP primary between state Rep. Steven Johnson of Assaria and state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker. The field includes Libertarian candidate Steve Roberts. Johnson, Rogers said, models himself as a moderate but votes with the “far right” 97% of the time. He said Tyson voted with extreme Republicans “125% of the time.” Roberts, a former state Board of Education member, fit the same mold.“We know it’s going to be hard-fought,” Rogers said. “We know that a strong state treasurer’s race, particularly me being from Wichita, will help many of our Democrats statewide. We need every Democrat, every independent and what I call principled Republican to say, ‘We don’t want to go back. We cannot afford to go back'” to policies championed by Gov. Sam Brownback.<h2>The local level</h2>Darrell McCune, the Democratic Party chairman in Franklin County, said he was energized after doubling the number of Democrats signed up to serve in county precinct positions. In this election cycle, he said, the tally increased from 10 to 21.“The county party has been really growing since 2016,” said McCune, a retired school music teacher who is running for the 59th District Kansas House seat left vacant by departure of GOP Rep. Blaine Finch of Ottawa. “It’s fun.”He said Democrats in the county were expanding door-to-door operations. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade prompted young women to call about volunteering during the current election cycle.Nina Fricke, who lives in northern Miami County, said she had been represented by Davids for nearly four years.“I have never in my life seen a representative work so hard,” she said. “I really hope we can get her in so you all can get to know her.”Fricke, running for the District 6 seat in the Kansas House, has worked for 35 years as a nurse specializing in newborn intensive care. She said political debates at the Capitol on the COVID-19 pandemic and funding of K-12 public schools were troubling.“This last year I watched the Legislature very, very closely. I didn’t like what I saw,” she said. “Saw a lot of really bad medical information being given. And, I also saw an awful lot of attacks on public education.”

Rep. Sharice Davids planting roots in gerrymandered district with distinctly rural flavor

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.

That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.

The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.

But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.

Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.

U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.

Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.

But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.

“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."

“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.

In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.

Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.

The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)

But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.

In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.

That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.

But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.

Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.

In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.

“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.

Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.

“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”

That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.

“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.

Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.

Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.

Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.

“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”

Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.

Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.

In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.

Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656105291910.png" alt="Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By PETER SMITH, Associated PressThe Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1017171738987366%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=100" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.All six were raised Catholic.Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.Scalia — who regularly attended the Latin Mass, a rite that appeals to many conservative Catholics — influenced not only Thomas but other recent appointees.“All of these people would say, ‘We are followers of Scalia,'” Stolzenberg said. “Scalia was a conservative Catholic. That very much stamped him and marked his legal philosophy.”But with conservatives racking up win after win on the court — overturning Roe, loosening gun restrictions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">expanding religious access to public forums</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">money</a>&nbsp;— their coalition will be tested, observers said.They long coalesced around the idea of “originalism” — that justices should interpret the Constitution based on how its writers meant or applied it.But originalism, with its purported moral neutrality, is “not any longer going to serve the needs of the pro-life coalition," said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University School of Law professor focused on constitutional law and religion. Some are talking about legislation declaring fetal personhood, and “originalism doesn't get you there,” he said.