A Kansas state judge on Wednesday upheld her Monday order ruling the state cannot allow transgender residents to choose gender identity on driver's licenses, citing the "public safety concern" created after nearly 200 transgender people in recent weeks changed the sex listings on their driver's license, reports the Wichita Eagle.
"Licenses are used by law enforcement to identify criminal suspects, crime victims, wanted persons, missing persons and others," District Judge Teresa Watson wrote in her order after a Zoom hearing held to consider a request from the Department of Revenue to lift her ban.
"Compliance with legal requirements for identifying license holders is a public safety concern."
Watson added that allowing license changes to continue would represent an immediate injury to the state and "the immediacy is supported by information" from the department.
The state agency that issues Kansas drivers' licenses failed Wednesday to persuade Watson that she'd made a mistake in imposing the ban two days earlier. Watson's latest order means that Kansas remains for now one of only a few U.S. states that won't change transgender people's licenses to reflect their gender identities.
The ban is a legal victory for the state's Republican Attorney General, Kris Kobach. He argues that driver's license changes by the Kansas Department of Revenue's motor vehicles division violated a new law rolling back transgender rights, which took effect July 1.
He sued two top department officials when the agency continued making changes despite the new law, in line with an announcement last month from Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly. The department stopped the changes when Watson imposed the ban.
The ban is set to expire July 24, but Watson said she plans to hold another hearing on whether she should extend it.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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