Concordia special session canceled
TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court has canceled a hearing and associated events scheduled for April 7 and 8 in Concordia in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The members of the court regret that we must postpone our planned April visit to Concordia, but we believe we have adopted the prudent public health course in the middle of the developing coronavirus pandemic," Chief Justice Marla Luckert said. "We look forward to a future opportunity to hold hearings in the 12th Judicial District and to meet with its court personnel and citizens in the counties the district serves.”
The court had planned to hear oral arguments in two appeals before an audience at Concordia High School on April 7 as part of its ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the high court, its work, and the overall role of the Kansas judiciary.
The 12th Judicial District—composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties—and Chief Judge Kim W. Cudney were helping to host the visit.
“All of us understand the court’s decision and appreciate its efforts to minimize health risk in our communities. We will be pleased to host the court at a later date,” Cudney said.
Previous Supreme Court special sessions have drawn crowds ranging from 400 to 800 people. The court has conducted 18 special sessions outside its Topeka courtroom since 2011.
Travel docket history
In 2011, the Supreme Court convened outside its Topeka courtroom in the Kansas Judicial Center to mark the state's 150th anniversary. Its first stop was the historic Supreme Court courtroom in the Kansas Statehouse. From there, and through the end of 2011, the court conducted special sessions in Salina, Greensburg, and Wichita. Since then, the court has held special sessions as follows:
2012: Overland Park
2013: Pittsburg
2014: Kansas City
2015: Hays and Garden City
2016: Topeka, Hiawatha, and Hutchinson
2017: Winfield and Emporia
2018: Colby and Manhattan
2019: Lawrence and El Dorado