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
In re Gibson
Date: September 14, 2020
 Docket Number: 19138
Khalil-Alsalaami v. State  
Date: September 11, 2020
 Docket Number: 115184

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing Defendant's convictions on two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, holding that Defendant received deficient representation pretrial and at tria...

Fairfax Portfolio LLC v. Carojoto LLC  
Date: September 11, 2020
 Docket Number: 118712

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case about the enforceability about a mortgage clause the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court dismissing this action, holding that any language...

State v. Keyes  
Date: September 11, 2020
 Docket Number: 118894

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of first-degree premeditated murder, holding that the district court erred in not instructing the jury on self-defense and that the error was reversible. At the close of...

State v. Coleman  
Date: September 11, 2020
 Docket Number: 120246

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court summarily denying Defendant's postsentence motion to modify sentence, holding that no legal avenue existed for the relief requested by Defendant. Defendant w...

State v. Braun  
Date: August 28, 2020
 Docket Number: 113762

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals concluding that the district court committed harmless error in failing to suppress a blood test result, holding that the court of appeals erred when it conc...

State v. Lindemuth  
Date: August 28, 2020
 Docket Number: 116937

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing Defendant's conviction of one count of criminal threat under Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-5415(a)(1), holding that there was no basis for this Court to disc...

State v. Juarez  
Date: August 28, 2020
 Docket Number: 118543

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court ordering Defendant to register as a violent offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), Kan. St...

Woessner v. Labor Max Staffing  
Date: August 28, 2020
 Docket Number: 119087

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the determination of the Workers Compensation Board that clear and convincing evidence showed that an employee's impairment caused by marijuana consumption did not contribute to the employee's...

In re Van Note
Date: August 26, 2020
 Docket Number: 16327
State v. Green  
Date: August 21, 2020
 Docket Number: 118366

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated burglary, and arson, holding that no error required reversal. Specifically, the Supreme...

State v. Pattillo  
Date: August 21, 2020
 Docket Number: 118941

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of felony murder, aggravated assault, felony discharge of a firearm, and aggravated endangering of a child, holding that no reversible error occurred. Defendant was conv...

State v. Moore  
Date: August 21, 2020
 Docket Number: 121040

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of first-degree premeditated murder, holding that there was a single instance of prosecutorial error during closing argument, but the error was harmless beyond a reasonab...

State v. Ellis  
Date: August 7, 2020
 Docket Number: 120046

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals reversing the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress drug-related evidence, holding that that the Court of Appeals correctly...

State v. Timley  
Date: August 7, 2020
 Docket Number: 120414

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for first-degree premeditated murder, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings below. Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1) even if a challenged...

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.