In a 100-plus-page decision knocking down Kansas’ proof-of-citizenship voter registration law, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson spent some two-dozen pages dismantling the testimonies offered by the so-called experts called by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to defend the law.

She said that “misleading evidence” and “preconceived beliefs about this issue” were the basis of the testimony given by one member of President Trump’s now-defunct voter fraud commission, which Kobach once led. The author of a report Trump allies once touted as evidence of mass voter fraud offered estimates of Kansas non-citizen registration that were “individually flawed and wildly varied,” Robinson said. Additionally, the top researcher at an anti-immigration think tank who argued that the Kobach’s law did not affect voter turnout was not qualified to make such a conclusion, Robinson ruled, excluding large parts of his testimony.

Kobach — as part of a test an appeals court said the district judge should use to evaluate his voter law — needed to prove that voter fraud, and specifically non-citizen registration, was a “substantial” problem in Kansas. The experts he called appeared to be the best options he had to back that claim — and they fell well short of convincing the judge.

“The Court will not rely on extrapolated numbers from tiny sample sizes and otherwise flawed data,” she said.

“He later admitted during cross-examination that he had no personal knowledge as to whether or not any of these individuals had in fact falsely asserted U.S. citizenship when they became registered to vote and that he did not examine the facts of these individual cases,” the judge said.

She also picked apart other claims von Spakovsky made about voter fraud based on reports outside of Kansas, and knocked him for failing to correct or supplement his expert report when obvious flaws were pointed out to him during the proceedings.



"The record is replete with further evidence of Mr. von Spakovsky’s bias,” she said.

24. Licensing: We call upon the Texas Legislature to review all
business/professional licensing programs and associated licensing for boards for the purpose of abolishing as many as reasonably possible and repealing those laws, rules, and regulations that exist merely to generate revenue from the licensing process. [Texas]
25. Minimum Wage: We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed. [Federal]
26. Municipal Preemption: We encourage the Legislature to preempt local government efforts to interfere with the State’s sovereignty over business, employees, and property rights. This includes but is not limited to burdensome regulations on short-term rentals, bags, sick leave, trees, and employee criminal screening. We support preemption of city ordinances that dictate sick leave policies to private businesses. [Local]
29. Practice Law: We support allowing any person to sit for the Texas State Bar Exam regardless of where he or she received their law education as long as criminal and ethical background requirements are met.
46. Vehicle Inspection: No non-commercial vehicles should be required to obtain a state safety inspection.
47. Vehicle Registration: Vehicle Registration should only be a one-time occurrence at the point of sale.
48. Vehicle Sales: We support allowing consumers in Texas to be able to purchase automotive vehicles directly from manufacturers. [State]
53. Keep Oath to the Constitution: The Republican Party of Texas calls for all who swear the oath to support and maintain the limitations and clear meaning of the United States Constitution.
56. United States Senators: We support the repeal of the 17th Amendment of the United States Constitution and the appointment of United States Senators by the state legislatures.
62. Family Values: We support the affirmation of traditional Judeo-Christian family values and oppose thecontinued assault on those values.
63. Flag Desecration: We call for a constitutional amendment banning desecration of the flag.
68. American Law for American Courts: No foreign law or international edict shall preempt the United States Constitution or the Texas Constitution, or be used as the basis for any decision, except required by contract between the individual parties.
72. Gun-Free Zones: We oppose governmental prohibitions on citizens who have a constitutional right to own and carry firearms and knives from doing so. We oppose state-mandated location restrictions, the Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, and the National Firearms Act.
73. Red Flag: We oppose monitoring programs including the Red Flag (that would deprive someone of their right to keep and bear arms without being convicted of a crime or found mentally incompetent by a medical psychiatric professional) or iWatch proposals and any program that causes gun owners to be investigated by law enforcement or appear before a judge when there is no reasonable cause of a crime committed. We oppose increased background checks, as they are highly prone to “false positives” and hinder law-abiding citizens’ ability to defend themselves, rather than reduce crime.
74. Firearms Storage: We oppose mandates on personal firearms storage, maintaining that it is the responsibility of an individual to safely store his or her firearms and choose responsibly when and how to make them available to minors.
75. Weapons Restrictions: We support all legislation and policies that reduce restrictions on legal gun owners to purchase, own, or carry any type of gun, ammunition, accessory, knife, or other weapon, and oppose all that hinder the same.
121. ​Sexual Education: We demand the state legislature pass a law prohibiting the teaching of sex education, sexual health, or sexual choice, or identity in any public school in any grade whatsoever, or disseminating or permitting the dissemination by any party of any material regarding the same. All school districts, individual schools, or charter schools are prohibited from contracting with or making any payment to any third party for material concerning any of the above topics. Until this prohibition goes into effect, sexual education shall only utilize sexual risk avoidance programs and promote abstinence outside of marriage. [State, Local]
135. ​Scientific Theories: We support objective teaching of scientific theories, such as life origins and environmental change. These should be taught as challengeable scientific theories subject to change as new data is produced. Teachers and students should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly and without fear of retribution or discrimination of any kind. [State, Local]
138. ​American Identity: We favor strengthening our common American identity, which includes the contribution and assimilation of diverse racial and ethnic groups. Students shall pledge allegiance to the United States and Texas flags daily to instill patriotism. Students have the right to display patriotic items on school property. [State, Local]
139. ​Bilingual Education: We encourage non-English speaking students to transition, via best practices, to English within one year, allowing them to quickly assimilate and succeed in American society. [State, Local]
140. ​Gender Identity: The official position of the Texas schools with respect to transgenderism is that there are only two genders: male and female. [State, Local]
192. ​Felon Voting: We support the constitutional authority of state legislatures to regulate voting, including disenfranchisement of convicted felons.
193. ​Voter Photo ID: We continue to fight for meaningful voter ID requirements for all elections and support other states’ attempts to pass the same.
202. ​English Only Ballots: English, and only English, shall appear on any ballot for any election in the United States of America and in the State of Texas
240. ​Gender Identity: We oppose all efforts to validate transgender identity. We call upon our legislature to enact laws prohibiting the use of hormones before the age of 18 in an attempt to change gender. We believe it should be illegal to remove healthy body parts in minors in an effort to try to transition to the opposite sex.
241. ​No Taxpayer Funding for Sex Change: We oppose the use of taxpayer funds for any type of gender dysphoria treatments or sex change operations and/or treatments.
256. ​Homosexuality: We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin, and we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.
275. ​No Gender Norming in Military: We oppose gender norming in the military. Transgendered persons should not serve in the military as a special class; no special considerations or medical treatment shall be required oroffered.
316. ​Homosexual Behavior: We affirm God’s biblical design for marriage and sexual behavior between one biological man and one biological woman, which has proven to be the foundation for all great nations in Western Civilization. We oppose homosexual marriage, regardless of state of origin. We urge the Texas Legislature to pass religious liberty protections for individuals, businesses, and government officials who believe marriage is between one man and one woman. We oppose the granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin. We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.
317. ​Definition of Marriage: We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between one natural man and one natural woman.
318. ​State Authority over Marriage: We support withholding jurisdiction from the federal courts in cases involving family law, especially any changes in the definition of marriage.
Spousal Benefits: We shall not recognize or grant to any unmarried person the legal rights or status of a spouse, including granting benefits by political subdivisions.

245. ​Fluoride in Water Supply: The Republican Party of Texas supports banning the fluoridation of the Texas water supply.