TOPEKA — The House GOP’s campaign operation wants Kansans to call the state Supreme Court ahead of a special legislative session on school finance — an unusual attempt to exhort the public to lobby justices.

In a message released Wednesday, the Kansas House Republican Campaign Committee implies the Supreme Court is about to close schools. Citizens are urged to call the court and ask it “to put our kids first.”

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Rep. John Carmichael, a lawyer and the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said whoever designed the ad needs to take a civics class. The court, he said, should not be influenced by public opinion, telephone calls or political advertising.

“It’s entirely appropriate to call elected officials to try to influence their decisions in making legislation,” Carmichael said, adding the governor also is regularly approached by citizens. “When we talk about the courts, it’s an entirely different set of rules, and that’s because the courts’ allegiance is to the law.”

Republicans urge public to call Kansas Supreme Court over school funding dispute