Kansas Courts

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You and the Courts of Kansas - Types of Courts

There are several different levels of courts in Kansas to handle various kinds of cases. These courts are:

Municipal Courts
Municipal (city) courts deal with alleged violations of city ordinances committed within the city limits. The cases usually involve traffic and other minor offenses. A person charged with an offense in municipal court may be represented by a lawyer. The judge hears the cases without a jury. Anyone convicted in municipal court may appeal to the district court of the county in which the municipal court is situated.

District Courts
District courts are created by the Constitution. They are the trial courts of Kansas, with general original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, including divorce and domestic relations, damage suits, probate and administration of estates, guardianships, conservatorships, care of the mentally ill, juvenile matters, and small claims. It is here that the criminal and civil jury trials are held. Kansas is divided into judicial districts, with varying numbers of judges in each district. There is a district court in each county, and an office of the clerk of the court where cases may be filed.

The state is also divided into six judicial departments, each of which includes several judicial districts. On justice of the Supreme Court serves as departmental justice over each department. The departmental justice may assign judges from one judicial district to another.

Judges of the district court must be lawyers. Some counties have district magistrate judges, who may or may not be lawyers, and whose jurisdiction is limited. There is at least one resident judge in each county.

The Supreme Court appoints a district judge as administrative judge for each judicial district. The administrative judge, in addition to his or her judicial responsibilities, has general control over the assignment of cases within the district, and general supervisory authority over the clerical and administrative functions of the court.

Appeals may be taken from the district courts to the Court of Appeals, or to the Supreme Court.

You may visit your district court at any time.

Court of Appeals
The Kansas Court of Appeals is located in Topeka in the Kansas Judicial Center and is an intermediate appellate court. The Court of Appeals hears all appeals from orders of the State Corporation Commission, and all appeals from the district courts in both civil and criminal cases except those which may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court. It also has jurisdiction over original actions in habeas corpus.

The Court may hear appeals en banc (all 10 judges) but the court usually sits in panels of three. The Court of Appeals may sit anywhere in the State. Hearings are scheduled regularly in Hays, Garden City, Wichita, Chanute, Kansas City, Olathe, and Topeka, and hearings have also been held in other cities for the convenience of the parties.

Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court sits in Topeka in the Kansas Judicial Center and is the state court of last resort. It hears direct appeals from the district courts in the most serious criminal cases and appeals in any case in which a statute has been held unconstitutional. It may review cases decided by the Court of Appeals, and may transfer cases from that court to the Supreme Court. It also has original jurisdiction in several types of cases.

The Supreme Court, by constitutional mandate, has general administrative authority over all Kansas courts. Its rules govern appellate practice in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, and procedures in the district courts. Supreme Court rules also provide for the examination and admission of attorneys, set forth the code of professional responsibility which governs the conduct of attorneys, and include the canons of judicial ethics which govern the conduct of judges. Rules also provide for the examination and certification of official court reporters. The Supreme Court may discipline attorneys, judges and nonjudicial employees.

All of the nonjudicial employees of the Kansas court system are under a personnel plan adopted and administered by the Supreme Court. Personnel and payroll records of all court employees throughout the State are maintained in the Office of Judicial Administration. The Supreme Court adopts and submits to the Kansas Legislature an annual budget for the entire judicial branch of State government.

Contents

• The Jury System
• Types of Courts
• Kansas Court System Chart
• Judges and Justices
• Becoming a Judge
• Clerk of the Supreme Court
• Reporter of the Supreme Court
• Judicial Administrator
• Trial Court Administration
• Conclusion
• Return to You and the Kansas Courts