Kobach Used State’s Money For Court-Ordered Legal Education Course

Secretary of State Republican Kris Kobach responds to questions on stage during the Gubernatorial debate at the Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, Kansas, September 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach didn’t open his own wallet to pay for six hours of legal education a federal judge ordered he take due to his “repeated and flagrant violations of discovery and disclosure rules.”

Instead, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported Tuesday, Kobach used state funds. A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office confirmed that it paid $359 for an audio version of the legal education course, according to the report.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ordered that Kobach take the legal education courses after striking down a law Kobach personally defended in court, on his then-office’s behalf, that required proof of citizenship for people registering to vote.

Robinson wrote at the time that “tens of thousands of eligible citizens were blocked from registration before this Court’s preliminary injunction, and that the process of completing the registration process was burdensome for them.”

The judge said of Kobach’s procedural mistakes: “It is not clear to the Court whether Defendant repeatedly failed to meet his disclosure obligations intentionally or due to his unfamiliarity with the federal rules. Therefore, the Court finds that an additional sanction is appropriate in the form of Continuing Legal Education.”

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: