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.
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Recent Decisions From the Kansas Supreme Court
Date: August 5, 2022
Docket Number: 122039
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his claims of error. Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1)…
Date: August 5, 2022
Docket Number: 124415
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that Kan. Stat. Ann. 74-2113 defines the rank of major within the classified service under the Kansas Civil Service Act (KCSA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 75-2925 et seq., and that K.A.R. 1-7-4 does not…
Date: July 29, 2022
Docket Number: 121269
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of first-degree murder and other crimes, holding that an assumed error and a prosecutorial error occurred in the proceedings below, but those errors did not require a…
Date: July 29, 2022
Docket Number: 122128
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained during a search that led to the State charging…
Date: July 29, 2022
Docket Number: 122268
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing this case on the grounds that state law immunized Whichita Police Officer Dexter Betts's use of deadly force in self-defense, holding that Kan.…
Date: July 29, 2022
Docket Number: 124014
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of violating the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA) by failing to register, holding…
Date: July 15, 2022
Docket Number: 124047
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's second pro se motion to correct an illegal sentence for offenses he committed in 1993, holding that the trial court correctly sentenced…
Date: July 8, 2022
Docket Number: 121503
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the trial court judge dismissing this case with prejudice after suppressing evidence as a discovery sanction, holding that, under…
Date: July 8, 2022
Docket Number: 122582
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the rulings of the lower courts against the City of Lansing in this dispute between municipalities in Leavenworth Country over the future and assets of a fire district, holding that an…
Date: July 1, 2022
Docket Number: 121053
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of a panel of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction of possession of more than 3.5 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute,…
Date: July 1, 2022
Docket Number: 122162
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) concluding that Johnson County's valuations for the 2016 and 2017 tax years involving eleven Walmart and Sam's Club "big box" stores in the…