The Marion County Commission approved a settlement of more than $3 million in connection with controversial 2023 raids related to a small-town, weekly newspaper

Nov. 11, 2025

The police department of a rural Kansas county had raided the Marion County Record and the home of the editor and publisher in 2023, triggering outrage from critics claiming that the law enforcement actions were meant to send a chill to the media about its freedom to report about Government officials. The raids, which included the home of a former Marion City Councilmember, reportedly resulted in five lawsuits. A retired police chief faces an alleged felony charge.

Further Reading :

• Kansas county agrees to pay $3 million over law enforcement raid on a small-town newspaper [The Associated Press]
  Nov. 11, 2025 — A rural Kansas county has agreed to pay a little more than $3 million and apologize over a law enforcement raid on a small-town weekly newspaper in August 2023 that sparked an outcry over press freedom.
• Judge orders ex-police chief who led raid on Kansas newspaper to stand trial for deleted texts [Kansas Reflector]
  Oct. 15, 2025 — Former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody probably committed a felony crime when he told a witness to delete text messages they exchanged before, during and after he led raids on a newspaper office and the publisher’s home, a district judge ruled Wednesday.
• Police stage ‘chilling’ raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computers, records and cellphones [Kansas Reflector]
  Aug. 11, 2023 — In an unprecedented raid, local law enforcement seized computers, cellphones and reporting materials from the Marion County Record office, the newspaper’s reporters, and the publisher’s home.

Key Words :

• Eric Meyer
• Freedom of the press, speech, and religion
• Gideon Cody
• Marion County Record