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Ryan Wright (Kansas)
Ryan Wright is the former acting Kansas Secretary of Labor. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) appointed him following the resignation of Delia Garcia on June 22, 2020.[1] He resigned on December 22, 2020, because Kansas law limits acting officeholders' terms to six months.[2]
Biography
Wright served as the executive director of the Kansas Values Institute and its partner group, the Kansans for Fair Courts. Wright's efforts focused on education and judicial reform. Previously, he worked as a legislative director for the Kansas State House and as a press secretary for then-Congressman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).[3]
Wright has also served as the legislative director for the Kansas Speaker of the House and as a special assistant for communications for the Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins (R) in 2003.[3][4]
Wright worked for Kansas Action for Children, a data-driven pro-children and family advocacy group, as well as the Kansas Coalition for School Readiness, which has evolved into the Partnership for Early Success, an organization focused on early childhood development through health and family issues.[5][3]
Wright attended Kansas State University, where he earned his B.S. in political science.
Noteworthy events
Kansas judicial debate
In 2012, Wright became the executive director of both the Kansas Values Institute and its partner group, the Kansans for Fair Courts.[3][6] In his capacity as executive director of Kansans for Fair Courts, Wright was engaged in a debate between former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, the Kansas State Legislature, and the Kansas Supreme Court.
In 2014, Brownback signed HB 2338 into law, which transferred state district courts' budgets from the state Supreme Court to the courts' chief judge. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss opposed the law, as did some local district judges. Chief District Judge Larry Solomon filed suit against the state in February 2015, who argued that the law weakened the power of the Supreme Court and opposed the idea of a unified court system. Wright argued that the state legislature was seeking "political retribution against the Supreme Court for unpopular decisions."[7] Wright further stated that "[j]udges should be free of political pressures and decide cases impartially based on the facts and the law. They should not have to worry that their decisions could be used against them for political gain."[7]
In December 2015, the Kansas Supreme Court struck down HB 2338, ruling that the legislature had usurped the Supreme Court's authority. The law had not only impacted court budgets, but also the selection process for district judges, who had previously been selected by the Supreme Court but under HB 2338 were appointed by direct election. Wright, responding to the high court's ruling, stated "The Kansas Supreme Court continues to be the only remaining branch of the government that is protecting Kansans from the political grab that is underway by politicians in Topeka. Today was a good day for democracy and our fair and impartial courts."[8]
See also
- Kansas Supreme Court elections, 2016
- Kansas Supreme Court
- Sam Brownback
- Lawton Nuss
- Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission
- Kansas State Legislature
- Callie Jill Denton
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kansas Office of the Governor, "Governor Laura Kelly Takes Immediate Action to Address KDOL’s Unemployment Insurance Caseload," June 22, 2020
- ↑ 13WIBW, "Gov. Kelly announces new Acting Secretary of Labor," December 22, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedkvi - ↑ The Topeka-Capital-Journal, "Unclaimed medals won't be sold," November 8, 2003
- ↑ Partnership for Early Success, "About Us," April 5, 2016
- ↑ Guidestar, "IRS Form 990, Kansas Values Institute (2012)," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Wichita Eagle, "Kansas district judge sues state over court budget law," February 18, 2016
- ↑ The Topeka-Capital-Journal, "Kansas Supreme Court strikes down judicial selection law," December 23, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Delia Garcia |
Kansas Secretary of Labor (acting) 2020-2020 |
Succeeded by Brett Flachsbarth |
