Judiciary
On Thursday four Kansans filed suit in federal court in Wichita to block the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission from selecting the next member of the court. The lawsuit claims the process in Kansas to select a new member for the state’s high court violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause. The lawsuit asks all Kansas [...]
Continue reading about Flashback: Politics and the Kansas Judiciary
Are Kansas Courts overstepping their bounds in a freedom of the press case? Claire O’Brien, a Dodge City Globe reporter, learned details from an interview with a murder suspect. Ford County attorney Terry Malone wants to force her to reveal her sources: From today’s Hutchinson News: Dodge City reporter is fined for court no-show From today’s Pittsburg [...]
Continue reading about Dodge City reporter found in contempt, fined for court no-show
In 2005 the Kansas Supreme Court usurped its power as the judicial branch of government when it dictated to the Kansas legislature, a separate and equal branch of Kansas government, how much money to spend so kids in Kansas could have a “suitable” education. Somehow the Supreme Court forgot the power of the public purse [...]
Continue reading about “Suitable” Funding for Kansas Supreme Court?
Kris Van Meteren was fined $7500 by the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission in February in somewhat of an unusual case. In March Van Meteren filed a law suit in Shawnee County District Court asking for judicial review of the case. There was secret hour-long Executive Session during the April Ethics Commission meeting, with a member [...]
In January many of the 1500 marchers at the KFL Rally for Life outside the Kansas Judicial Center wore tape over their mouths to protest an action by the Kansas Supreme Court. The tape symbolized the Kansas Supreme Court’s gag order on Judge Richard Anderson preventing him from additional testimony in the Planned Parenthood case brought by [...]
Continue reading about Will the Kansas Supreme Court Free Judge Anderson tomorrow?
Shouldn’t the Kansas Judiciary be about law and justice and not about politics? Shouldn’t the Kansas Judiciary investigate itself when the political actions of someone within the Judiciary could damage the reputation and careers of attorneys? This article clarifies some of the mystery surrounding the recent release of a letter from the Office of the [...]
Read this commentary online at the Wichita Eagle
Continue reading about Kris W. Kobach: Budget Woes Linked to How Justices Are Chosen
In late February several members of the Kansas press reported that a letter from Office of the Disciplinary Administrator was sent to Caleb Stegall, an attorney representing former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, and two former deputies, Stephen Maxwell and Eric Rucker. How did the press learn about the existence of this confidential letter? How [...]
On Wednesday the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies published a detailed analysis by Samson R. Elsbernd of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission Lawyers, 1987-2007. This report gave background information about each attorney member of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission, including political contributions and the following information:
Last year citizens of Johnson County voted on Question No. 1 as to whether or not to elect district court judges instead of selecting them through a judicial nomination process. The “No” votes won, which prevented the election of judges. This group said judicial elections would make the process too political, but ignored how political [...]
