Kansas lawmakers urge the state’s attorney general on Tuesday to release a report containing information on an August 11, 2023 police raid on a local weekly newspaper in the state. A local prosecutor previously determined that Marion County police lacked sufficient evidence to conduct a raid on the Marion County Record office.

In House Resolution No. 6032, lawmakers seek to spotlight any abuse of power exhibited by police during the August 11 seizure on the home and offices of the Marion County publisher and city council member Eric Meyer. The resolution would also require Attorney General Kris Kobach to address whether police violated federal and state protections for the Marion County Record during the execution of a search warrant. Thus far, 45 lawmakers have supported the resolution.

The resolution reads, in part, “Journalists in Kansas, including those at the Marion Country Record in Marion, Kansas, have faced retaliation for exercising their constitutional rights in the course of publishing facts about important matters and those of public concern.” It continues, “[The raid] undermines the role of journalism in encouraging engaged, civic-minded, and critical thinkers.”

According to Marion County Record reporter Deb Gruver, who was present the day of the raid, Marion County police arrived Friday morning with a search warrant. The search warrant authorized police to search and seize all electronic media and devices containing information related to alleged identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers. When Marion County Record staff attempted to contact Eric Meyer, police confiscated their phones. Once inside the office, police seized computer equipment, including the newspaper’s server. Police also raided the home of Marion County Record co-owner Joan Meyer and seized her computer. A day after the search, Joan Meyer died of a heart attack.

Concerns over the police’s potential abuse of power through violations of the newspaper’s First Amendment rights under the US Constitution, in addition to the legal guardrails impeded during the raid, received national attention from various news media outlets and press freedom organizations. Several free press organizations and media outlets issued a joint statement condemning the actions of the Marion County police.

The resolution has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary for further review.