Kansas Supreme Court Decisions 2021

State v. Rhoiney  
Date: December 30, 2021
Docket Number: 121159

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for felony murder, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, and aggravated assault, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings…

First Security Bank v. Buehne  
Date: December 30, 2021
Docket Number: 121765

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the district court's entry of summary judgment for First Security Bank (FSB) in its foreclosure action against David and Linsay Buehne, holding…

In re Murphy
Date: December 30, 2021
Docket Number: 122036
In re Sutton
Date: December 27, 2021
Docket Number: 18949
Herington v. City of Wichita  
Date: December 17, 2021
Docket Number: 120329

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of a federal district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendants on Plaintiff's federal claims and declining to exercise…

Williams v. State  
Date: December 17, 2021
Docket Number: 121815

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court dismissing as untimely and successive Defendant's motion filed under Kan. Stat. Ann. 60-1507, holding that the…

State v. Pearce  
Date: December 17, 2021
Docket Number: 122961

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for first-degree felony murder, holding that Defendant's arguments on appeal were unavailing. Defendant was convicted of first-degree felony murder,…

In re Winterberg
Date: December 17, 2021
Docket Number: 123818
State v. Euler  
Date: December 10, 2021
Docket Number: 119761

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction of identity theft, holding that the State presented sufficient evidence to establish venue in Johnson County and that…

State v. Boswell  
Date: December 10, 2021
Docket Number: 123111

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's sentence of life imprisonment with no chance of parole for fifty years but vacated the district court's order imposing lifetime postrelease supervision and electronic monitoring as…

In re Leon
Date: December 10, 2021
Docket Number: 123855
In re Swischer
Date: December 10, 2021
Docket Number: 123993
State v. Myers  
Date: December 3, 2021
Docket Number: 122046

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the district court's ruling to strike Defendant's prior Missouri driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions and reversed the court of appeals' holding that prior Missouri DWI convictions are…

In re Starosta
Date: December 3, 2021
Docket Number: 124082
Stormont-Vail Healthcare, Inc. v. Sievers  
Date: November 24, 2021
Docket Number: 121109

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the holdings of the lower courts in this case, holding that wages can be "earnings" under Kan. Stat. Ann. 60-2310(a)(1) even after they are paid if the employee can specifically and directly…

State v. Roberts  
Date: November 19, 2021
Docket Number: 121682

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that Defendant failed to meet his burden to show that his sentences were illegal, holding that Defendant failed to show by a preponderance of the…

State v. Grable  
Date: November 19, 2021
Docket Number: 123120

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's statutory default sentence of life without the possibility of parole for fifty years, holding that there was no abuse of discretion. Defendant pled guilty to first-degree…

In re Pingel
Date: November 19, 2021
Docket Number: 123994
State v. Brown  
Date: November 12, 2021
Docket Number: 120590

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's sentence and affirming Defendant's convictions and rejecting other constitutional challenges to his sentence and restitution order,…

State v. Valdez  
Date: November 12, 2021
Docket Number: 122444

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court summarily denying Defendant's pro se motion to correct an illegal sentence under Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-3504, holding that the district court did not err in…

In re Kupka
Date: November 8, 2021
Docket Number: 122053
State v. Dailey  
Date: November 5, 2021
Docket Number: 120845

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals ruling that substantial competent evidence did not support the district court's restitution amount in this case but reversed the court's mandate directing a…

State v. Allen  
Date: November 5, 2021
Docket Number: 121916

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals panel reversing Defendant's convictions for forgery, felony theft, and misdemeanor theft, holding that the panel erred when it decided Defendant's claims…

In re Christians
Date: October 29, 2021
Docket Number: 123708
State v. Arnett  
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: 112572

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the restitution ordered against Petitioner by the district court, holding that the restitution did not violate Petitioner's right to a jury under…

State v. Owens  
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: 120753

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions and restitution order, holding that any error did not require reversal of the convictions. Defendant was convicted of first-degree felony murder and aggravated…

State v. Robison  
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: 120903

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the district court convicting Defendant of battery of a law enforcement officer and ordering Defendant to pay restitution in the…

State v. Ellington  
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: 123145

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's judgment denying as untimely Defendant's motion to withdraw his plea, holding that the district court correctly determined that Defendant did not demonstrate excusable…

State v. Taylor  
Date: October 8, 2021
Docket Number: 118792

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's convictions of battery against a law enforcement officer and intentional criminal threat, holding that the cumulative effect of five errors in Defendant's trial affected the trial's…

State v. Jackson  
Date: October 8, 2021
Docket Number: 123211

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to correct an illegal sentence, holding that the district court did not err. Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree…

In re Roby
Date: September 29, 2021
Docket Number: 23285
State v. Dinkel  
Date: September 24, 2021
Docket Number: 113705

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of two counts of rape of a child under fourteen years of age, holding that Defendant's counsel was ineffective. A jury convicted Defendant of two counts of rape of a…

State v. Davidson  
Date: September 17, 2021
Docket Number: 119759

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated criminal sodomy and the requirement that he register as a sex offender for life under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), Kan. Stat. Ann.…

State v. N.R.  
Date: September 17, 2021
Docket Number: 119796

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals finding that lifetime registration requirements under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-4906(c), were not punishment as…

State v. Richardson  
Date: September 17, 2021
Docket Number: 123045

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to correct illegal sentence under Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-3504, holding that the district court correctly construed Defendant's motion…

State v. Shockley  
Date: September 10, 2021
Docket Number: 117216

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of felony murder, criminal discharge of a firearm, and criminal possession of a firearm and sentencing him to a hard twenty-five life sentence consecutive to 216 months'…

University of Kansas Hospital Authority v. Board of Franklin County Commissioners  
Date: September 10, 2021
Docket Number: 120472

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court to grant summary judgment on the University of Kansas Hospital Authority's (KUHA) claims against the City of Ottawa seeking to recover the cost of medical…

Chalmers v. Burrough  
Date: August 27, 2021
Docket Number: 121108

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court dismissing for lack of jurisdiction this case in which Father moved to modify a child support order, holding…

City of Shawnee v. Adem  
Date: August 27, 2021
Docket Number: 121328

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals ruling that the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-4901 et seq., applied to Defendant's municipal court conviction for sexual…

State v. Montgomery  
Date: August 27, 2021
Docket Number: 122237

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated Defendant's sentence for aggravated domestic battery, holding that the district court's reason for departing from the presumptive sentence established by the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act…

State v. Wimbley  
Date: August 20, 2021
Docket Number: 122812

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of two counts of felony murder, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, and criminal discharge at an occupied vehicle, holding that Defendant failed to…

State v. Contreras  
Date: August 13, 2021
Docket Number: 119584

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, and one count of aggravated intimidation of a victim, holding that the district court did not err when…

State v. Thurber  
Date: August 13, 2021
Docket Number: 122739

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to appoint counsel and, by implication, his accompanying pro se petition for DNA testing under Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-2512 on the basis…

State v. Hill  
Date: August 13, 2021
Docket Number: 122861

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to modify sentence, in which he argued that his hard fifty sentence should be modified according to…

In re Artman
Date: August 13, 2021
Docket Number: 123682
State v. Euler  
Date: August 6, 2021
Docket Number: 119761

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the opinion of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction of identity theft, holding that the State presented sufficient evidence to establish venue in Johnson County and that there…

State v. Jones  
Date: August 6, 2021
Docket Number: 119764

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed two of Defendant's convictions and reversed the court of appeals' decision to reverse two more of Defendant's convictions, holding that clearly erroneous jury instructions required reversal in…

In re Tax Appeal of River Rock Energy Co.  
Date: August 6, 2021
Docket Number: 120387

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) upholding county appraisers' application of the Kansas Oil and Gas Appraisal Guide developed by the Kansas Department of Revenue's Property…

State v. Evans  
Date: August 6, 2021
Docket Number: 121105

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, arson, and aggravated burglary, holding that there was no abuse of discretion in the admission of…

In re Shepard
Date: August 6, 2021
Docket Number: 23277
State v. Vargas  
Date: July 30, 2021
Docket Number: 119741

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the portion of the judgment of the court of appeals reversing one of Defendant's two alternatively charged convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude a law…

State v. Samuels  
Date: July 30, 2021
Docket Number: 120853

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed in connection with his plea of guilty to aggravated intimidation of a witness, aggravated domestic battery, and two counts of violation of a protective order,…

State v. Rinke  
Date: July 30, 2021
Docket Number: 122413

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the finding of the district court that Defendant committed a sex offense for which he had a registration obligation under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-4901 et…

State v. Bailey  
Date: July 30, 2021
Docket Number: 122597

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court not to order the return of restitution previously collected and distributed to Defendant's victims after the Supreme Court remanded the case upon deciding a…

In re I.A.  
Date: July 23, 2021
Docket Number: 118802

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction this appeal brought approximately nineteen years after a district court adjudicated I.A. as a juvenile offender, holding that due process and procedural fairness did…

State v. Dooley  
Date: July 23, 2021
Docket Number: 120863

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court revoking Defendant's probation and ordering him to serve his underlying sentence, holding that the district…

State v. Knapp  
Date: July 23, 2021
Docket Number: 121316

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of first-degree murder and two counts of interference with a law enforcement officer and his controlling hard fifty sentence, holding that the district court's…

State v. Hillard  
Date: July 23, 2021
Docket Number: 121715

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part and affirmed in part Defendant's convictions for premeditated first-degree murder, felony murder (in the alternative), two counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery,…

State ex rel. Secretary, Department for Children & Families v. M.R.B.  
Date: July 23, 2021
Docket Number: 122696

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the opinion of the court of appeals panel reversing the decision of the district court denying Father's motion to modify residential custody of his daughter, J.F., holding that the panel's…

Hanson v. Kansas Corp. Commission  
Date: July 16, 2021
Docket Number: 119834

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the lower courts that a natural gas utility company's invoicing practice was "unjust, unreasonable, [or] unfair" under Kan. Stat. Ann. 66-1,206(a), holding that the lower courts…

State v. Liles  
Date: July 16, 2021
Docket Number: 121459

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions and sentences stemming from three murders at her home, holding that none of Defendant's allegations of error warranted reversal of her convictions. A jury convicted…

In re Kenney
Date: July 16, 2021
Docket Number: 123589
State v. Young  
Date: July 9, 2021
Docket Number: 119265

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals to dismiss this appeal of a judgment of conviction, holding that the court of appeals correctly held that it lacked jurisdiction over Defendant's…

State v. Hutto  
Date: July 9, 2021
Docket Number: 122630

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court denying Defendant's motion to withdraw his plea of guilty to two counts of felony first-degree murder, holding that Defendant failed to prove manifest injustice…

Baker v. Hayden  
Date: July 2, 2021
Docket Number: 117989

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this appeal concerning whether the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 45-215 et seq., requires a Kansas district court to make audio records of open court proceedings available…

State v. R.H.  
Date: July 2, 2021
Docket Numbers: 119881, 119,885

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to correct an illegal sentence under Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-3504 asserting that his sentence was unconstitutional, holding that the…

State v. Douglas  
Date: July 2, 2021
Docket Number: 122895

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions on three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his two instructional error claims and his one prosecutorial…

State v. Marks  
Date: July 2, 2021
Docket Number: 123034

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's postconviction motion to compel the production of records related to his criminal case, holding that there was no basis for the discovery…

In re Bennett
Date: July 1, 2021
Docket Number: 20778
State v. Thomas  
Date: June 18, 2021
Docket Number: 119240

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for rape, criminal threat, sexual battery, and battery, holding that, even if Defendant was correct that rape is essentially a strict liability crime, he failed to…

In re Cullins
Date: June 14, 2021
Docket Number: 122565
State v. Albano  
Date: May 28, 2021
Docket Number: 120767

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals rejecting Defendant's challenge to the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act (KSGA), Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-6801, et seq., and affirming her conviction and sentence…

State v. Valdiviezo-Martinez  
Date: May 21, 2021
Docket Number: 111447

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of identity theft, holding that an employee can commit identity theft by using the social security number of another to deceive an employer and induce the employer to…

Khalil-Alsalaami v. State  
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 115184

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion filed under Kan. Stat. Ann. 60-1507 seeking a new trial based on allegations of…

State v. McCroy  
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 120783

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeal dismissing the State's appeal in this criminal case for lack of jurisdiction, holding that a district court's noncompliance with Kan. Stat. Ann. 22-3716 does…

State v. Nunez  
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 121284

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of one count of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, holding that there was error in the jury…

State v. Clark  
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 121789

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the denial of Defendant's motion to correct an illegal sentence and remanding for resentencing, holding that Kansas appellate courts have…

State v. Harris  
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 122348

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for attempted capital murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and criminal possession of a firearm, holding that Defendant's allegations of error were without…

In re Lindberg
Date: May 14, 2021
Docket Number: 123423
State v. Bodine  
Date: May 7, 2021
Docket Number: 120620

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and dismissed in part Defendant's convictions of first-degree felony murder, aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a child, aggravated endangering a child, aggravated assault, and criminal…

State v. Blevins  
Date: May 7, 2021
Docket Number: 121516

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for premeditated first-degree murder, along with his hard fifty sentence, holding that there was no reversible error. Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1) the…

In re Ayesh
Date: May 7, 2021
Docket Number: 123203
Tillman v. Goodpasture  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 117439

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiffs' lawsuit against their doctor based on Kan. Stat. Ann. 60-1906(a), holding that section…

Carman v. Harris  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 118734

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the district court's denial of Mother's request seeking to order Father to pay half of her expenses for prenatal medical care and the birth of the…

State v. Arrizabalaga  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 120209

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the ruling of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress the fruits of a vehicle search conducted by the Kansas Highway Patrol,…

State v. Johnson  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 121951

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's request for relief under Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-6628(c), formerly Kan. Stat. Ann,. 21-4639, holding that the district court properly denied…

State v. Appleby  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 122281

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's denial of Defendant's request for resentencing under Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-6628(c), holding that section 21-6628(c) does not create an avenue or independent means by which a…

State v. Trotter  
Date: April 30, 2021
Docket Number: 122293

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion for sentence modification, holding that there was no procedural mechanism by which a Kansas court could reconsider Defendant's…

State v. Watson  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 118710

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction and reversed the judgment of the district court based on the jury verdict, holding that the prosecutor misstated both the…

State v. Aguirre  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 119529

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of voluntary manslaughter and first-degree premeditated murder, holding that the district court erred in admitting certain expert testimony, but the error was not…

State v. Levy  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 119998

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of first-degree felony murder and his hard twenty-five sentence, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1) the…

State v. Davis  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 121054

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the district court's denial of Defendant's motion to withdraw his plea as untimely, holding that any error on the part of the lower courts was…

State v. Holley  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 121181

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for first-degree murder and vacated his sentence for the conviction but affirmed his child endangerment convictions, holding that the district court erred in refusing to…

State v. Gallegos  
Date: April 23, 2021
Docket Number: 121685

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for first-degree premeditated murder, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his allegations of error. Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1) the…

In re Williamson
Date: April 19, 2021
Docket Number: 21282
In re Ball
Date: April 14, 2021
Docket Number: 10185
Jayhawk Racing Properties v. City of Topeka  
Date: April 9, 2021
Docket Number: 118035

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the district court granting the City of Topeka's motion to dismiss this breach of contract suit, holding that dismissal was…

Hawkins v. Southwest Kansas Co-op Service  
Date: April 2, 2021
Docket Number: 118379

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving an Employer's subrogation interest in a $1.5 million settlement, the Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the Workers…

State v. Cash  
Date: April 2, 2021
Docket Number: 121467

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction on multiple drug charges, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress drug evidence seized during a traffic stop. At issue on…

In re A.B.  
Date: April 2, 2021
Docket Number: 122685

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court in this case and held that the aggravated indecent liberties statute, Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-5506(b)(1), is not vague or overbroad and does not violate equal…

State v. Breitenbach  
Date: March 26, 2021
Docket Number: 120503

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of attempted capital murder, aggravated criminal sodomy, and aggravated burglary, holding that there were no errors in the proceedings below. Specifically, the Supreme…

State v. Tonge  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 119543

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's sentence and remanding the case to the district court for resentencing, holding that the court of appeals…

State v. Dunn  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 119866

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the decision of a panel of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's sentence of seventy-eight months' imprisonment and addressing and determining the three…

State v. Queen  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 120643

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals holding that no exceptions extended the statutory speedy trial period in this case and that Defendant must be discharged from liability on the charges…

In re F.C.  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 121536

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the adjudication decision of the district court finding F.C. to be a child in need of care (CINC) under Kan. Stat. Ann. 38-2202(d)(2), which focuses on whether the child lacks necessary care or…

State v. Barber  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 121720

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea to first-degree murder, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion when it found that…

State v. Cheeks  
Date: March 19, 2021
Docket Number: 122621

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion for postconviction DNA testing, holding that the district court did not err. In 1993, Defendant was convicted of the second-degree…

In re Hummer
Date: March 17, 2021
Docket Number: 19298
In re M.M.  
Date: March 12, 2021
Docket Number: 121936

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court dismissing M.M.'s claim seeking to recover compensation for his wrongful 226-day confinement to a juvenile corrections facility, holding that Kan. Stat. Ann.…

State v. Smith  
Date: March 12, 2021
Docket Number: 121949

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court denying Appellant's motion for leave to appeal out of time, holding that the district court did not err in denying Appellant's motion under the exceptions set…

In re Cure
Date: March 8, 2021
Docket Number: 120518
State v. Thornton  
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 120028

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for possession of marijuana, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia, holding that the trial court erred in admitting evidence that a syringe was found by police during…

Ellie v. State  
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 120030

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court reversing Defendant's conviction of aggravated battery, rape, and aggravated kidnapping on the grounds that a conflict of interest existed between Defendant…

In re Care & Treatment of Quillen  
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 120184

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Richard Quillen's petition to be placed in transitional release from his civil commitment as a sexually violent predator under the Kansas Sexually…

State v. Hayes  
Date: March 5, 2021
Docket Number: 121881

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's summary dismissal of Defendant's motion to correct an illegal sentence, holding that the district court did not err. Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder,…

In re Shepherd
Date: March 4, 2021
Docket Number: 120875
In re Cullins  
Date: February 26, 2021
Docket Number: 122565

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court ordered that F. William Cullins, a district judge in the Fourteenth Judicial District be suspended from his judicial duties in the state of Kansas for one year, concluding that the charges against…

State v. Fraire  
Date: February 19, 2021
Docket Number: 121378

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of premeditated first-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon but vacated the imposition of lifetime postrelease supervision as part of…

In re P.R.  
Date: February 12, 2021
Docket Number: 119745

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court concluding that Mother's voluntary relinquishment of her child under Kan. Stat. Ann. 38-2268 was a legally…

State v. Stoll  
Date: February 5, 2021
Docket Number: 117081

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction for failure to register under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA), holding that the court of appeals panel erred…

State v. Colson  
Date: February 5, 2021
Docket Number: 120946

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for felony murder, intentional second-degree murder, felony theft of a firearm, felony theft of a vehicle, and burglary, holding that there was no error in the…

State v. Farmer  
Date: February 5, 2021
Docket Number: 121534

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's sentence for first-degree felony murder and several other offenses, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's departure motion and that Defendant abandoned…

In re Kepfield
Date: January 29, 2021
Docket Number: 112897
State v. Morley  
Date: January 29, 2021
Docket Number: 120017

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's sentence, holding that a reasonable person would not find Defendant's acceptance of responsibility to be a compelling reason to…

State v. Griffin  
Date: January 29, 2021
Docket Number: 120747

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for methamphetamine possession after he pled no contest to that offense, holding that the district court properly denied Defendant's motion to dismiss for violation of…

In re Estate of Taylor  
Date: January 22, 2021
Docket Number: 120033

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court concluding that the executor of the Estate of Thelma J. Taylor converted estate property and ordering the executor to repay double the converted property's…

In re Ahrens
Date: January 22, 2021
Docket Number: 122332
State v. Coble  
Date: January 15, 2021
Docket Number: 118382

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of one count of aggravated arson, holding that where the State charged three identical counts of aggravated arson and the jury instructions and verdict form failed to…

State v. Crosby  
Date: January 15, 2021
Docket Number: 119824

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for distribution of a controlled substance and affirmed Defendant's remaining convictions, holding that there was insufficient evidence to support the distribution…

State v. Phillips  
Date: January 15, 2021
Docket Number: 121075

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for first-degree murder and aggravated battery, holding that none of Defendant's allegations of error required reversal of his convictions. Specifically, the Supreme…

Johnson v. U.S. Food Service  
Date: January 8, 2021
Docket Number: 117725

Justia Opinion Summary: In this workers compensation case, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals holding that Kan. Stat. Ann. 44-510e(a)(2)(B) was unconstitutional on its face, holding that the statute is…

State v. Hooks  
Date: January 8, 2021
Docket Number: 119881

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court declined to retain Appellant's appeal under the "unique circumstances doctrine" and refused to make factual findings, holding that remand was required for factual findings regarding the circumstances of…

State v. McNabb  
Date: January 8, 2021
Docket Number: 120390

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion for a downward durational departure from the presumptive hard fifty sentence for his convictions for two counts of first-degree…

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.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.