Kansas Supreme Court

From Judgepedia

Kansas Supreme Court
Court information
Justices:	7
Location:	Topeka, Kansas
Judicial selection
Method:	Comm. select., Gov. appt.
Term:	6 years
Active justices
Lawton Nuss  •  Lee Johnson  •  Marla Luckert  •  Carol Beier  •  Eric Rosen  •  Daniel Biles  •  Nancy Caplinger-Moritz  •
Former justices

The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest court in Kansas. It consists of seven justices, each of whom is appointed by the Governor of Kansas, currently Mark Parkinson. The court is located at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, Kansas.

Justices

The court has seven justices; they are chosen by a commission, and serve renewable six-year terms subject to retention votes. The mandatory age of retirement for a Kansas Supreme Court justice is 70, but a justice may choose to finish out their term if they turn 70 prior to its expiration. ^[1]

Chief justice

As designated by the Kansas Constitution, Chief Justices are appointed according to seniority, and have the responsibility of supervising the court and the "unified judicial department."

When former Chief Justice Kay McFarland retired in January 2009, Robert Davis became the court's Chief Justice. Davis resigned on Aug. 3, 2010 and died the next day ^[1]. Lawton Nuss became the Chief Justice when Davis resigned.

Jurisdiction

The Kansas Supreme Court has mandatory jurisdiction in civil, criminal, administrative agency, disciplinary, certified questions from federal courts and original proceeding cases, and discretionary jurisdiction in civil, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, original proceeding, and interlocutory decision cases.^[2]

Judicial selection

Kansas chooses its justices using a selection commission. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission selects three potential candidates for placement as supreme court justice and presents their recommendations to the governor. The governor is then tasked with appointing one justice from the list. If a justice is appointed, he must go to a retention vote after one year. Election to the Kansas Supreme Court gives a term of six years.^[3]

Nominating commission

: See : Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission.

The Supreme Court Nominating Commission is comprised of representatives from each congressional district, and, during times of judicial vacancy, is in charge of compiling a list of potential supreme court justices to present to the governor.

Qualifications

To be qualified to serve on the court, a candidate must have had "ten years of active and continuous practice of law in Kansas."^[4]

Removal of justices

Kansas judges may be removed by impeachment and conviction, according to Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution, may be removed by the supreme court on recommendation of commission on judicial qualifications, and or may be removed by the governor due to incapacitation.^[5]

Caseloads

Please note: These statistics include the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

^[6]

Salaries

As of 2010, the Associate Justices earn $135,905 annually, while the Chief Justice earns $139,310. ^[7]

Notable decisions

History of the court

The Kansas state capitol in Topeka, Kansas, which houses the Kansas Supreme Court

At its inception, the Kansas constitution provided that one chief justice and two associate justices would consist of the Supreme Court, and would be elected for six year terms. In 1900, the court increased from three justices to seven. In 1958, the selection of justices changed from partisan election to an appointment process.^[8]

Courthouse

The Kansas Supreme Court sits in Topeka in the Kansas Judicial Center, which was completed in 1978. The building holds the 22-foot white marble statute, created by artist Bernard "Poco" Frazier. According to the "Eight Wonders of Kansas," "'Justice' kneels on a granite pedestal at the center of the Kansas Judicial Center. In a departure from the more traditional depictions of justice as a woman wearing a blindfold, in the Frazier statute, "Justice" is seen in a kneeling posture, eyes open, looking at her upraised arm at the symbolic figure of the Prairie Falcon, native to Kansas. The Prairie Falcon is native to Kansas and its vision is thought to be eight times more powerful than human vision. In 1976, work stopped with the artists' death; Malcolm Frazier, his son, was approved to complete the piece.^[9]

Notable firsts

See also

• News: Kansas Supreme Court hears arguments on smoking ban, December 15, 2011

External links

• Kansas Courts, official website of the state's judiciary
• Professor questions judge selection, Lawrence Journal-World. Editorial by Kansas University School of Law professor Stephen J. Ware, recommending changes to the way Kansas selects supreme court judges. Selection to the Kansas Supreme Court, the paper that Professor Ware wrote.

References

v • d • e Kansas Supreme Court
Current	Lawton Nuss  •  Lee Johnson  •  Marla Luckert  •  Carol Beier  •  Eric Rosen  •  Daniel Biles  •  Nancy Caplinger-Moritz  •
Former	Kay McFarland  •  Robert Davis  •  David Josiah Brewer  •  Earl O'Connor  •