Kansas Supreme Court Decisions

Located in Topeka, the Kansas Supreme Court consists of seven justices who serve six-year terms. State law imposes a mandatory retirement age of 70 on each justice, although they can finish an ongoing term if they turn 70 before it ends. To be eligible to serve on the Kansas Supreme Court, a candidate must be at least 30 years old and have actively and continuously practiced law in Kansas for at least 10 years. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Chief Justice of the Court is determined by seniority. In other words, when the current Chief Justice retires, the remaining justice who has served for the longest time on the Court succeeds them automatically.

Rather than electing justices to the Supreme Court, Kansas uses an appointment procedure that is facilitated by a selection commission. Members of the Supreme Court Nominating Commission represent each congressional district in Kansas. The Commission starts the process of selecting a new justice by choosing three candidates to recommend to the Governor of Kansas. The Governor will appoint one of the candidates. A new justice must go through a retention election one year after they are appointed. If they survive the retention election, they can serve a six-year term.

Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution outlines the three methods for removing a justice from the Supreme Court. First, a justice may be removed through an impeachment process if they are found to have engaged in misconduct. The Supreme Court also has the discretion to remove a justice if the commission on judicial qualifications recommends their removal. Finally, the Governor of Kansas has the authority to remove a justice if they become incapacitated.

Browse Opinions From the Kansas Supreme Court
Recent Decisions From the Kansas Supreme Court
State v. Unruh
Date: March 21, 2025
 Docket Number: 122472
In re Anderson
Date: March 14, 2025
 Docket Number: 21941
In re Janoski
Date: March 11, 2025
 Docket Number: 124955
Austin Properties v. City of Shawnee  
Date: March 7, 2025
 Docket Number: 125734

Justia Opinion Summary: Austin Properties, LLC, submitted an application to the Shawnee City Council to build a multi-unit residential complex. The city council denied the application, leading Austin Properties to petition the district court to…

State v. Hollins  
Date: March 7, 2025
 Docket Number: 126348

Justia Opinion Summary: Ricky Hollins was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder after an altercation with S.D. on October 21, 2020, resulted in S.D.'s death. Hollins intended to meet S.D. for a paid sexual encounter, but the situation…

State v. Johnson  
Date: March 7, 2025
 Docket Number: 127273

Justia Opinion Summary: Ronald Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to a hard 50 sentence. Over the years, he has filed multiple actions challenging his conviction and sentence. In January 2023, Johnson filed a pro se…

State v. Johnson
Date: March 7, 2025
 Docket Number: 127274
In re Mintz
Date: March 4, 2025
 Docket Number: 110111
Stroud v. Ozark Nat'l Life Ins. Co.  
Date: February 28, 2025
 Docket Number: 124348

Justia Opinion Summary: Cathy L. Stroud sued Ozark National Life Insurance Company and its agent, Stephen Guinn, for negligent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty after her husband, Alan Stroud, converted his term life insurance…

State v. Collins  
Date: February 28, 2025
 Docket Number: 125761

Justia Opinion Summary: The appellant, Casinroyial Donje Caszarone Collins, pled guilty to aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and aggravated battery. He was sentenced to probation with a controlling 161-month sentence. After violating his…

State v. Younger  
Date: February 21, 2025
 Docket Number: 124601

Justia Opinion Summary: Kimberley S. Younger was convicted of capital murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder, and theft. She was accused of orchestrating the murders of Alfred and Pauline…

State v. Barnes  
Date: February 21, 2025
 Docket Number: 125739

Justia Opinion Summary: Clyde James Barnes Jr. was convicted by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with electronic monitoring equipment, criminal threat, and violation of a protective order. The case…

State v. Adams  
Date: February 14, 2025
 Docket Number: 126130

Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Adams faced multiple counts of battery for allegedly assaulting two men and his girlfriend, Stephanie Lang, outside a bar. Lang initially identified Adams as the attacker but later claimed she did not…

State v. Smith  
Date: February 14, 2025
 Docket Number: 126844

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, Robert Edward Smith was involved in a home invasion that resulted in the murder of Donna O'Neal. Smith was charged with first-degree felony murder, aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated robbery, two counts…

In re Wrongful Conviction of Warsame  
Date: February 14, 2025
 Docket Number: 126950

Justia Opinion Summary: Sharmarke Warsame was convicted of two felony counts of identity theft, two misdemeanor counts of theft, and one misdemeanor count of criminal use of a financial card for using stolen credit cards to purchase Target gift…

The opinions published on Justia State Caselaw are sourced from individual state court sites. These court opinions may not be the official published versions, and you should check your local court rules before citing to them. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site, or the information linked to on the state site.

Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.

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