TOPEKA — A Kansas judge has dismissed Attorney General Kris Kobach’s lawsuit against Governor Laura Kelly over a federal request for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) data, marking the latest twist in a high-profile legal and political battle.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Governor Kelly welcomed the court’s ruling, saying it confirmed her administration’s position that the lawsuit was both premature and without merit. “It is unfortunate that Attorney General Kobach decided to engage in low-rent political theater, wasting taxpayer dollars, and spreading misinformation,” Kelly said. She added that the court correctly found her administration had no current legal duty to turn over Kansans’ personal information while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues its administrative review process.
The lawsuit stemmed from a USDA demand that Kansas submit detailed SNAP enrollment data, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, covering recipients since 2020. Kelly and Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard resisted the request, warning it endangered the privacy of roughly 730,000 Kansans. After Kansas missed multiple federal deadlines, USDA officials announced on Sept. 20 that they were disallowing $10.4 million in administrative SNAP funding.
Kobach seized on that decision, filing suit on Sept. 8 and accusing the Governor of defiance that would cost low-income families. Republican leaders in the Legislature echoed his claims, saying the administration’s refusal to comply was shielding fraud and misuse of federal dollars.
But Kelly’s office countered that the Attorney General’s portrayal of the situation was misleading. Following the USDA’s rejection of Kansas’s corrective action proposal, the Department for Children and Families filed an appeal. According to Kelly, the filing of that appeal automatically stayed the disallowance, preventing USDA from withholding funds while the review is underway.
“The State of Kansas has not lost any SNAP administrative funding, and the program continues to operate as usual,” Kelly said in Tuesday’s statement.
The court’s dismissal means Kobach’s lawsuit will not move forward for now, though the broader conflict with USDA remains unresolved. Kansas continues to face pressure from federal officials to comply with the data request, and the appeals process will determine whether the $10.4 million disallowance is ultimately upheld.
The decision highlights the widening gulf between Kelly and Kobach, two of the state’s most prominent political figures, over the balance between protecting Kansans’ privacy and meeting federal requirements for oversight of public assistance programs.
