Everything about The Kansas Supreme Court totally explained
The
Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of
Kansas based in
Topeka. Composed of seven justices, led by
Chief Justice Kay McFarland, the Court supervises the legal profession, administers over the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals process.
Functions
Administration
The Kansas Supreme Court must adopt and submit to the
Kansas Legislature an annual budget for the entire
judicial branch of Kansas government.
Supervision
According to the the Court has the general administrative authority over all Kansas courts. Its rules govern the appellate practice in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. It sets the procedures in the district courts. It also provides oversight to the legal profession by setting rules that provide for the examination and admission of
attorneys within the state, the code of
professional responsibility which governs the conduct of attorneys, and include the canons of judicial ethics which regulate the conduct of judges. Lastly it sets the rules for the examination and certification of official court reports. To ensure compliance the Court may discipline attorneys, judges and nonjudicial employees.
Judicial
The Kansas Supreme Court most important duty is being the state court of last resort and the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. The Court rarely conducts a trial. Its judicial responsibilities include hearing direct appeals from the district courts in the most serious criminal cases and appeals in any case in which a statute has been held unconstitutional. The Court has the authority to review cases decided by the Court of Appeals and the ability to transfer cases to the
U.S. Supreme Court.
Jurists
Selection process
When a vacancy opens up on the Kansas Supreme Court the Supreme Court Nominating Commission submit a list of 3 qualified individuals to the
Governor of Kansas. The Commission is composed of five lawyer members and four non-lawyer members. One lawyer and one non-lawyer member must be from each of
Kansas's congressional districts, and one additional lawyer member who serves as the chairperson. Lawyer members are elected by their peers in each individual congressional district while the non-lawyer members are appointed by the governor.
To be considered as a Justice one must be between the ages of 30-70. They must also be an attorney licensed in Kansas and be active as a lawyer, judge, or teacher of law at an accredited law school for a minimum of ten years. If a person meets these requirements and wants to be considered for the office they must complete a detailed nomination form summarizing their educational, professional, community, and financial background. The Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission reviews the nomination forms and chooses which potential nominees merit an interview.
The interviews are conducted in the Supreme Court’s Conference Room in Topeka. Generally the interview process will take a day and half. There are no official set of questions but are normally consisting of such topics as the potential nominees’ legal scholarship, professional experience, writing ability, and community service. The Commission also receives letters of recommendation and other background information on the candidates. Once the interviews are complete the commission enters into discussion to reduce the list to the top six to eight nominees. Then the commission votes by
secret ballot until a list of three nominees is chosen by majority vote to submit to the Governor.
Appointments
The governor then selects one of the three from the Commission's list to become a justice. If the Governor fails to make an appointment within 60 days the choice is then made by the Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. After the first year in office the justice undergoes a
retention vote in the next general election. If the justice receives approval from a majority of electors the he or she remain in office for a 6 year term. After the conclusion of each term the justice must face another retention vote.
Retirement is mandatory at age 70 or upon completion of the justice's current term.
The justice who has the longest continuous service is designated by the Kansas Constitution as the chief justice, unless he or she declines or resigns the position. The chief justice's duty is to exercise the administrative authority of the court. This merit system or
Missouri Plan has been used in Kansas since
1958, voted in by Kansans upset when Governor
Fred Hall resigned after losing the gubernatorial primary so he could be appointed to the Supreme Court by his successor Governor
John McCuish.
Current justices
Composition
The Kansas Supreme Court has 7 justices. This includes 3 women (MacFarland, Luckert, Beier), 4
Democrats (Davis, Luckert, Beier, and Rosen), and 4 alumni of the
University of Kansas (Nuss, Beier, Rosen, Johnson).
Removing a judge
Due to the
checks and balances of the
judicial branch with the
legislative and
executive branches it's difficult to remove a Justice. Usually a Justice either dies, retires by choice, or retires after surpassing the state age limit of 70. A Justice may be removed by
impeachment and conviction as specified in Article 3 of the . Justices can also be forced to retire upon certification to the governor after a hearing by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission that the Justice is so incapacitated as to be unable to perform the duties of the office.
Controversy
Limon v. Kansas
The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously struck down part of a law that sentence
Matthew Limon to prison over a decade longer than a heterosexual would receive because of different
age of consent laws for homosexuals.
Montoy v. Kansas
The court has ruled that the $2.7 billion in school funding was inadequate and distributed unfairly. It then recommend the Kansas legislature increase funding to schools and change the way the money was distributed. Many Republicans saw this as an act of
judicial activism leading to some calls for changes in how justices are selected.
Kansas v. Marsh
The Court ruled in
Kansas v. Marsh that the Kansas
Death Penalty was unconstitutional because the
Eighth Amendment prohibits imposing death when
mitigating and aggravating sentencing factors were equally balanced. The
United States Supreme Court disagreed and reversed in a 5-4 decision.
Kline v. Tiller
The Court unanimously allowed then Attorney General
Phill Kline to examine the
abortion records of 90 women to investigate possible crimes. It later denied Kline from pursuing 30 misdemeanor criminal charges against Dr.
George Tiller after he lost office. The case was a major issue in the 2006 defeat of Kline by former prosecutor and current Attorney General
Paul Morrison whose investigation found no crimes.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kansas Supreme Court'.
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