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Derek Schmidt

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Derek Schmidt
44th Attorney General of Kansas
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2011
GovernorSam Brownback
Jeff Colyer
Laura Kelly
Preceded byStephen Six
Majority Leader of the Kansas Senate
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2011
Preceded byLana Oleen
Succeeded byJay Emler
Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 15th district
In office
January 8, 2001 – January 10, 2011
Preceded byTim Emert
Succeeded byJeff King
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJennifer Schmidt
EducationUniversity of Kansas (BA)
University of Leicester (MA)
Georgetown University (JD)

Derek Larkin Schmidt[1] is an American lawyer and politician who has been the Kansas Attorney General since 2011. A Republican, Schmidt was then a legislative assistant to Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, an assistant Kansas attorney general and special counsel to Governor Bill Graves before being elected to the Kansas Senate, where he representing the 15th district from 2001 to 2011 and was Senate majority leader.

Schmidt became the state attorney general office in 2011, after he defeated incumbent Democrat Stephen Six in the November 2010 elections. As Kansas AG, he joined other Republican state AGs in suing to block many Obama administration policies, defended the state's laws against same-sex marriage, opposed efforts to decriminalize marijuana in Kansas, and challenged public health orders issued by Governor Laura Kelly to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, after Republican President Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden but refused to acknowledge defeat, Schmidt joined a failed effort to overturn the election results.

Schmidt became the first major Republican candidate to enter the race against Kelly for governor of Kansas in the 2022 election cycle.[2]

Early life and career

Schmidt graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in 1990, received a master's degree in international politics from the University of Leicester in England, and received his J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.[3] Schmidt was then a legislative assistant to Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, an assistant Kansas attorney general and special counsel to Governor Bill Graves.[4]

Kansas State Senate

Schmidt was elected to the Kansas Senate in 2000.[4] In 2004, Schmidt was elected the Senate majority leader,[4] holding this post through 2010.[5]

During his time in the Kansas Senate, Schmidt sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to repeal the state's ban on for-profit prisons. Schmidt was a supporter of the highly popular Kansas version of Jessica's Law, but "almost single-handedly killed the final bill by demanding inclusion of a provision allowing private prisons in Kansas" as the town of Yates Center, in Schmidt's district, sought to bring a private prison to the town.[6]

According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, top contributors to Schmidt's campaigns included the Community Bankers Association, AT&T, the Kansas Association of Realtors, the Kansas Optometric Association, Cox Enterprises, Koch Industries, Monsanto, the Kansas Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association, the Associated General Contractors of Kansas, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, and Sprint.[1]

Kansas Attorney General

Elections

Schmidt was the Republican nominee for Kansas Attorney General, defeating Ralph DeZago in the Republican primary election on August 3, 2010.[7] He won the general election against the incumbent, Democrat Steve Six[8] and took office on January 10, 2011. A key issue in Schmidt's first campaign for attorney general the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health care reform law. Six chose not to join 25 other states in challenging the constitutionality of the ACA, while Schmidt pledged to join the lawsuit challenging the law, if elected.[9]

Schmidt won re-election in 2014, defeating Democratic nominee A.J. Kotich, a labor lawyer and former chief attorney for the Kansas Department of Labor.[10]

In 2018, Schmidt defeated Democratic nominee Sarah G. Swain, winning election to a third term.[11]

Coronavirus response

Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas

In April 2020, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly instituted orders to restrict the rapid spread of COVID-19 that limited public gatherings to a maximum of ten persons. As this would have applied to Easter Sunday celebrations in churches, the Republican-majority Legislative Coordinating Council reversed her order. Republican Schmidt also opposed Kelly's order, contending that it violated the Kansas Constitution and Kansas law.[12] He issued a memo calling the order likely unconstitutional and urged law enforcement not to enforce it.[12] Of the first eleven loci of contagion in Kansas, three had already been traced to religious gatherings.[13] The Kansas Supreme Court reinstated Kelly's orders on April 11, in expedited proceedings.[14] A week later, in a separate case, U.S. District Judge John W. Broomes in Wichita issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of Kelly's order as to two churches (one in Junction City, the other in Dodge City) contending that the restriction violated religious freedom and free speech rights.[15][16] That case became moot after Governor Kelly issued a new executive order with less restrictive COVID-19 rules effective on May 4, 2020, under an agreement that allowed the churches to hold larger in-person services but required social distancing.[16]

Obama administration

Lawsuits challenging Obama administration policies

As attorney general, Schmidt joined with other Republican state attorneys general in challenging federal regulatory actions adopted by the Obama administration that Schmidt contended were illegal federal overreach. Schmidt and his colleagues were successful in blocking many of these regulations, particularly those proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.[17][18][19] Kansas challenged Obama-era regulations on the oil and gas industry, including a regulation controlling emissions of the greenhouse gas methane;[18] in 2015, Schmidt also joined Kansas in a suit challenging the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.[19][20] In the latter case, the Supreme Court issued in 2016 a stay of implementation in a 5–4 decision along ideological lines.[19]

One of Schmidt's first acts as state attorney general was to add Kansas as a plaintiff to the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 in Florida v. United States Department of Health and Human Services; in a letter, Schmidt wrote that the ACA's individual mandate would "encroach on the sovereignty of the State of Kansas and on the rights of our citizens."[21][22] The U.S. Supreme Court, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012), ultimately upheld most of the ACA as constitutional, while striking down a portion of the law which would have required states to implement Medicaid expansion.[23][24][25]

In July 2017, Schmidt joined a group of eight other Republican state attorneys general, led by Ken Paxton of Texas, as well as Idaho Governor Butch Otter, in sending a letter to President Donald Trump saying that they would litigate if Trump did not terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy that had been put into place by the Obama administration. (One of the signatories, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, subsequently reversed his position and urged passage of the DREAM Act.)[26][27][28]

State Objections Board proceedings about Obama's birth certificate

Further information: Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories

Despite numerous judges across the U.S. having rejected challenges to the natural-born citizenship of Barack Obama, since before he was elected president in 2008,[29] Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach persistently demanded proof of citizenship before allowing Obama's name to appear on the 2012 Kansas presidential ballot. In September 2012, while leading the three-person State Objections Board, and supported by its other members, Kansas Secretary of State Jeff Colyer and Schmidt, Kobach requested additional evidence that Obama was actually born in Hawaii.[30] In September 2012, the three heard arguments on a claim from a Manhattan, Kansas resident, Joe Montgomery, who claimed that Obama was not eligible to be president because his father was from Kenya and questioned whether the president had a valid birth certificate. As head of the Board, Kobach requested additional evidence that Obama was actually born in Hawaii.[30] The Board asserted that it lacked sufficient evidence to determine whether Obama was eligible to appear on the Kansas ballot as a candidate in 2012 and that they needed to review obama's birth certificate and other documents from Hawaii, Arizona, and Mississippi before they could respond to the resident's complaint.[31] The challenge, backed by high-profile conspiracist Orly Taitz, was eventually dropped, but showed the continuing presence of the "birther" movement.[32] In an editorial, the Wichita Eagle criticized Kobach for entertaining conspiracy theories that "made Kansas look ridiculous" and criticized Colyer and Schmidt for failing to promptly toss the birther challenge.[33]

U.S. Supreme Court arguments

Schmidt has given oral argument several times on behalf of the State of Kansas in the United States Supreme Court.[34]

Schmidt successfully argued two Supreme Court cases involving the death penalty: Kansas v. Cheever (argued and decided in 2013)[35] and Kansas v. Carr (argued in 2015 and decided in 2016),[36] Schmidt gave oral argument in the Supreme Court case Kansas v. Garcia (argued 2019 and decided 2020), in which the Court held, 5–4, that the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) does not preempt "Kansas's application of its state identity-theft and fraud statutes to the noncitizens in this case."[37]

Same-sex marriage

Schmidt defended Kansas in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, seeking to invalidate Kansas's ban on same-sex marriage and its prohibition of allowing same-sex couples to change the names on state drivers' licenses to reflect their married names, receive spousal health benefits, or file joint state tax returns.[38] In 2014, after the chief district judge of Johnson County (the most populous county in the state) ordered the state to issue licenses to same-sex couples, Schmidt filed a petition in the Kansas Supreme Court and obtained a temporary halt to the issuance of licenses to same-sex couples pending a hearing.[39][40] However, in November 2014, a federal district judge ordered the state to allow same-sex couples to marry.[39][41] Schmidt petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to block the order, but the Court denied his request.[41] In 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, Schmidt dropped his Kansas Supreme Court against same-sex marriage.[40]

Planned Parenthood

In Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri v. Andersen (2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, who challenged the decision of Kansas government officials to terminate Medicaid contracts with the organization. The court of appeals held that "States may not terminate providers from their Medicaid program for any reason they see fit, especially when that reason is unrelated to the provider's competence and the quality of the health care it provides."[42] Schmidt strongly opposed the decision, as well as a similar one made by the Fifth Circuit in the Louisiana case of Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast. Schmidt asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Tenth Circuit's decision, but in December 2018, the Supreme Court denied his petition for a writ of certiorari.[43][42]

Marijuana

Further information: Marijuana in Kansas

In 2015, Schmidt asked the Kansas Supreme Court to strike down a ballot measure, approved by voters in Wichita, that created a city ordinance reducing marijuana possession enforcement in the city. The measure specifically reduced the penalty for persons over 21 charged with a first marijuana possession offense (moving it from a Class A criminal misdemeanor to a civil infraction carrying a $50 fine). Schmidt asserted that the voter imitative was barred because it conflicted with uniform state law, a claim that the city disputed.[44] The Kansas Supreme Court struck down the city ordinance in 2016; the court did not address Schmidt's argument that the local law conflicted with state law, but rather based its decision on a technical error, ruling that the petitioners' filing of the proposed ordinance with the city clerk was improper.[45]

In January 2018, Schmidt issued an opinion stating that all forms of marijuana, including cannabidiol (CBD oil) are unlawful in Kansas.[46][47] Later in 2018, the state legislature voted to amend the state-law definition of marijuana to exclude CBD products without THC.[46][48]

In 2019, Schmidt was one of 17 state attorneys general who did not sign onto a letter from 33 state attorneys general in support of U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter's Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (H.R. 1595), a bill to allow marijuana-related businesses in states and territories in which marijuana is legal to use the banking system. The bill would facilitate collection of taxes levied on the $8.3 billion industry, reduce the danger of operating cash-only businesses and more effectively monitor the industry.[49]

Election litigation

2014 Senate race

Schmidt joined forces with Republican Kris Kobach, then-Kansas Secretary of State, in filing a brief in support of a lawsuit seeking to force the Kansas Democratic Party to field a candidate in the 2014 U.S. Senate general election. If the Democrats were forced to field a candidate, it was anticipated to have decreased the chances of independent candidate Greg Orman (who was supported by Democrats) of defeating incumbent Republican Pat Roberts in the 2014 election.[50][51] The suit was unanimously rejected by a three-judge panel of the Kansas District Court in Shawnee County.[51]

Joining challenge to 2020 presidential election results

On December 8, 2020, Ken Paxton, the Republican Texas Attorney General, sued the states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania (four swing states won by Joe Biden, who defeated President Donald Trump) seeking to overturn the election results. Schmidt, as well as 15 other Republican state attorneys general, joined Texas's suit, Texas v. Pennsylvania, which was filed directly in the U.S. Supreme Court. The suit, supported by Trump and 120 Republican members of Congress, alleged "unconstitutional" actions in the four states' presidential ballot tallies and repeated baseless claims of election fraud; there was no evidence for such claims, which had already been rejected by other state and federal courts.[52][53] In the suit, Paxton asked the Supreme Court to invalidate the states' sixty-two electoral votes, allowing Trump to be declared the winner of a second presidential term.[54][55] Legal experts, as well as attorney generals from the four states, criticized the suit as meritless and politically motivated.[56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64] The Supreme Court quickly rejected the suit in an unsigned opinion on December 11.[65] The Wichita Eagle editorial board criticized Schmidt for having "signed our state's name to an embarrassing and baseless lawsuit aimed at overturning the presidential election" and noted that the amicus brief to which Schmidt signed "expanded voting rules in the four targeted states, even though Kansas employs many of the same procedures."[66]

Other

In 2016, Schmidt created a new Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division to prosecute financial crimes and elder abuse.[67]

In 2017, Schmidt's colleagues elected him to serve as president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).[68][69]

Schmidt hired Toby Crouse as the Kansas Solicitor General;[34] Crouse left the office after being appointed by Trump to the Kansas federal district court.[70]

Campaign for Governor

Schmidt launched his campaign for governor of Kansas on March 9, 2021, naming former Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kelly Arnold as treasurer.[71]

Schmidt's announcement came after months of speculation and amid the GOP-controlled legislature's debates over Governor Laura Kelly's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including consideration of legislation that would give the attorney general a check on the governor’s power during future emergencies.[72][73] As the state's attorney general, Schmidt has frequently clashed with Kelly during the pandemic over everything from a statewide mask mandate to regulations closing churches early in the pandemic.[74][75] Kelly announced her intention to run for re-election in December 2020.[76]

The campaign launch followed a political action committee aligned with Schmidt announcing the previous week it would spend money in a push to unite Republicans around the attorney general's candidacy to avoid "a wasteful primary fight."[77] The committee, called Our Way of Life PAC, pointed to internal polling suggesting Schmidt had an advantage over likely primary opponent Jeff Colyer, with the data showing roughly half of all voters surveyed remained undecided.[78]

Schmidt said he would "welcome" the support of President Donald J. Trump in the race and said he felt Trump's agenda "was very good for Kansas."[79]

Electoral history

Kansas State Senate 15th District Republican Primary Election, 2000[80]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt 7,002 58.20
Republican Virgil Peck, Jr. 5,029 41.80
Kansas State Senate 15th District General Election, 2000[81]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt 17,230 73.41
Democratic Johnetta Shelton 6,240 26.59
Republican hold
Kansas State Senate 15th District General Election, 2004[82]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt (Incumbent) 24,307 100.00
Republican hold
Kansas State Senate 15th District General Election, 2008[83]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt (Incumbent) 24,259 100.00
Republican hold
Kansas Attorney General Republican Primary Election, 2010[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt 208,611 76.30
Republican Ralph De Zago 64,493 23.60
Kansas Attorney General General Election, 2010[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt 458,497 54.90
Democratic Steve Six (Incumbent) 349,340 41.80
Libertarian Dennis Hawver 26,867 3.20
Republican gain from Democratic
Kansas Attorney General General Election, 2014[84]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt (Incumbent) 564,766 66.70
Democratic AJ Kotich 281,105 33.20
Republican hold
Kansas Attorney General General Election, 2018[85]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derek Schmidt (Incumbent) 599,773 59%
Democratic Sarah G. Swain 410,881 41%
Republican hold

References

  1. ^ a b Derek Larkin Schmidt, National Institute on Money in State Politics (last accessed September 19, 2020).
  2. ^ "GOP Kansas attorney general launches campaign for governor". AP NEWS. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Hall Center selects state Sen. Derek Schmidt as first Simons Fellow" (Press release). University of Kansas Hall Center for the Humanities. January 26, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c Tim Carpenter, Schmidt ousts Six in AG race, Topkea Capital-Journal (November 2, 2010).
  5. ^ House majority leader elected to Kansas Senate, Morning Sun (November 27, 2010).
  6. ^ Carpenter, Tim. "AG Nominees Tangle on Records" Topeka Capital-Journal. October 21, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "2010 Primary Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "2010 General Election Results" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  9. ^ Schmidt's pledge to join ACA challenge bolstered candidacy, Kansas Health Institute News Service (March 26, 2012).
  10. ^ Celia Llopis-Jepsen, A.J. Kotich, labor attorney and former A.G. candidate, dies at 69, Topeka Capital-Journal (October 22, 2015).
  11. ^ Mark Davis, Kansans vote Republican in state offices despite making Democrat Laura Kelly governor, Kansas City Star (November 6, 2018).
  12. ^ a b War over Easter: Kansas lawmakers revoke Gov. Kelly's order limiting church gatherings, Wichita Eagle, Jonathan Shorman, Amy Renee Leiker and Michael Stavola, April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  13. ^ Kansas has 3 church-related COVID-19 clusters, state says amid scramble for supplies, Wichita Eagle, Jonathan Shorman, April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  14. ^ Kansas Supreme Court says executive order banning religious service of more than 10 people stands, KMBC, April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  15. ^ John Hanna (April 19, 2020). "Judge doubts Kansas COVID-19 rule, blocks it for 2 churches". Associated Press.
  16. ^ a b Carylynn Stark & Jonathan Shorman, Kansas governor to issue less restrictive coronavirus rules beginning May 4, Kansas City Star (April 25, 2020).
  17. ^ Schmidt, Derek (December 5, 2016). "Rein in federal agencies and illegal regulations". Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  18. ^ a b Leblanc, Aileen (August 12, 2016). "Kansas Among States Challenging New EPA Regulations on Oil and Gas Industry". KMUW. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  19. ^ a b c Hurley, Lawrence; Volcovici, Valerie (February 9, 2016). "U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Obama's Clean Power Plan". Scientific American. New York, NY. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  20. ^ Kansas joins lawsuit against the Clean Power Plan, Witchita Eagle (August 14, 2015).
  21. ^ Schmidt, Derek (January 12, 2011). "Full text: Kansas Attorney General Schmidt's letter about health care reform". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  22. ^ Klepper, David (January 12, 2011). "Kansas wants in on health care lawsuit". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011.
  23. ^ Warren Richey, How John Roberts upheld health-care law while limiting congressional power, Christian Science Monitor (June 28, 2012).
  24. ^ National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012).
  25. ^ Rosenbaum, Sara; Westmoreland, Timothy (August 2012). "The Supreme Court's Surprising Decision On The Medicaid Expansion: How Will The Federal Government And States Proceed?". Health Affairs. 31 (8): 1663–1672. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0766. PMID 22869643. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  26. ^ Tennessee's attorney general: I've changed my mind, DACA is good, pass the DREAM Act, Vox.com, Dara Linddara, September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  27. ^ Texas leads 10 states in urging Trump to end Obama-era immigration program, Texas Tribune, Julián Aguilar, June 29, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  28. ^ SPLC denounces letter from 10 Attorneys General seeking "cruel and heartless" repeal of DACA, Southern Poverty Law Center, June 30, 2017.
  29. ^ Around the nation, The Washington Times, October 26, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Kan. board delays decision on Obama, ballot". Associated Press. September 13, 2012 – via DeseretNews.com.
  31. ^ "Kansas Republicans: We need to see Obama's birth certificate". CBS News. September 14, 2012.
  32. ^ "Obama to appear on Kansas ballot after 'birther' challenge dropped". CNN. July 15, 2012.
  33. ^ "Editorial: Shame on Kobach". Witchita Eagle. September 19, 2012.
  34. ^ a b Kalvis Golde, Three grants and you're out (of coffee). SCOTUSblog (October 5, 2019).
  35. ^ https://www.oyez.org/cases/2013/12-609
  36. ^ https://www.oyez.org/cases/2015/14-449
  37. ^ "Kansas v. Garcia". Oyez.
  38. ^ Preliminary injunction sought in Kansas gay marriage case to force full recognition of marriages, Lawrence Journal World, Peter Hancock, December 8, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  39. ^ a b Health Hollingsworth, Judge orders Kansas to let gay couples marry, Associated Press (November 4, 2014).
  40. ^ a b Kansas AG Derek Schmidt dismisses state court case against gay marriage, Associated Press (July 1, 2015).
  41. ^ a b Bryan Lowry, Supreme Court lifts hold on same-sex marriage in Kansas, Wichita Eagle (November 12, 2014).
  42. ^ a b Planned Parenthood of Kansas v. Andersen, 882 F.3d 1205 (10th Cir. 2018), cert. denied, 139 S. Ct. 638 (2018).
  43. ^ Ariane de Vogue, Supreme Court sides with Planned Parenthood in funding fight, CNN (December 10, 2018).
  44. ^ Dion Lefler, Kansas AG Asks Supreme Court to Block Voter-Approved Marijuana Measure, Governing (April 10, 2015).
  45. ^ Kelsey Ryan, Kansas Supreme Court strikes down Wichita marijuana initiative (+videos), Witchita Eagle (January 23, 2014).
  46. ^ a b Compound in marijuana now legal in Kansas with caveat, Associated Press (June 9, 2018).
  47. ^ Atty. Gen. Op. No. 2018-05, Kanas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (January 24, 2018).
  48. ^ Atty. Gen. Op. No. 2018-10, Kanas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (August 24, 2018).
  49. ^ Attorneys general from 33 states urge banking reform for pot industry, Associated Press, May 8, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  50. ^ Bryan Lowry, AG Derek Schmidt files brief in support of case to force Democrats to field Senate candidate, Wichita Eagle (September 25, 2014).
  51. ^ a b Dave Helling, Shawnee County District Court panel rules Democrats don't have to put Senate nominee on ballot, Kansas City Star (October 1, 2014).
  52. ^ Bryan Lowry, Missouri, Kansas sign onto lawsuit seeking to overturn presidential election, Kansas City Star, December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  53. ^ Trump thought courts were key to winning. Judges disagreed, Associated Press, Coleen Long and Ed White, December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  54. ^ "Trump thought courts were key to winning. Judges disagreed". AP NEWS. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  55. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 8, 2020). "Texas files an audacious suit with the Supreme Court challenging the election results". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  56. ^ "17 states, and Trump, join Texas request for Supreme Court to overturn Biden wins in four states". Dallas News. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  57. ^ Platoff, Emma (December 8, 2020). "In new lawsuit, Texas contests election results in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  58. ^ "'Publicity stunt': AGs in battleground states blast Texas counterpart for challenging Biden's win". NBC News. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  59. ^ Lindell, Chuck. "Ken Paxton asks Supreme Court to block Joe Biden victory in 4 battleground states". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  60. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 8, 2020). "Texas files an audacious suit with the Supreme Court challenging the election results". New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  61. ^ "List: The 126 House members, 19 states and 2 imaginary states that backed Texas' challenge to Trump defeat". The Mercury News. December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  62. ^ "Trump and his GOP loyalists seek to pile on Supreme Court election challenge". ABC News. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  63. ^ Phillips, Amber (December 11, 2020). "Why the Texas lawsuit to overturn the 2020 election may be the most outlandish effort yet". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  64. ^ Platoff, Emma (December 10, 2020). "With election lawsuit, Ken Paxton — like Donald Trump — makes a Hail Mary play". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  65. ^ Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election, The New York Times, December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 20202.
  66. ^ Kansas AG who joined a bogus lawsuit to overturn the election is part of the circus, Wichita Eagle (December 11, 2020).
  67. ^ Brown, Zoe. "Derek Schmidt, Scott Schwab propose voter fraud be prosecuted by attorney general, local prosecutors". KCTV Kansas City. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  68. ^ Carpenter, Tim (June 23, 2017). "Kansas Attorney General Schmidt to lead national AG organization". Topeka, KS: Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  69. ^ Gartner, Alec (June 8, 2018). "Trump cabinet member talks consumer protection in Topeka". KSNT. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  70. ^ Sarah Motter, AG Schmidt welcomes new Federal District Court Judge, WIBW (November 18, 2020).
  71. ^ "GOP Kansas attorney general launches campaign for governor". AP NEWS. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  72. ^ "GOP Kansas attorney general launches campaign for governor". AP NEWS. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  73. ^ Bahl, Andrew. "The governor's race is officially underway. What role will Sam Brownback and Donald Trump play?". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  74. ^ "GOP Kansas attorney general launches campaign for governor". AP NEWS. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  75. ^ Balleyer, Anna (May 11, 2020). "Face Mask Mandate and Compliance with Physical Distancing Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic". AEA Randomized Controlled Trials. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  76. ^ "Gov. Kelly gears up for challenging re-election campaign in 2022: 'I'm not done yet'". Kansas Reflector. December 23, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  77. ^ Bahl, Andrew. "Former Gov. Jeff Colyer signals he will launch 2022 bid to reclaim governorship". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  78. ^ Bahl, Andrew. "Former Gov. Jeff Colyer signals he will launch 2022 bid to reclaim governorship". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  79. ^ Bahl, Andrew. "The governor's race is officially underway. What role will Sam Brownback and Donald Trump play?". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  80. ^ "2000 Kansas Primary Election Results (Kansas Senate)" (XLS). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
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  82. ^ "2004 Kansas General Election Results (KS Senate)" (XLS). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  83. ^ "2008 Official General Results" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  84. ^ "2014 General Election Official Results" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  85. ^ "2018 General Election Unofficial Results" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Kansas
2011–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Derek_Schmidt&oldid=1011426049"