Kansas Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss attended the National Center for State Courts Conference of Chief Justices Board of Directors meeting November 21, 2013, in Washington, D.C.
Nuss is the first chief justice from Kansas to be appointed to the board of directors in more than 20 years. He was appointed in July 2013.
“The Council of Chief Justices provides great opportunities to compare notes and exchange ideas with fellow chief justices across the country. A highlight of our recent meeting was having dinner with United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Supreme Court building,” Nuss said.
Kansas Governor Bill Graves appointed Nuss to the Supreme Court in August 2002. Nuss became the first court member in more than 20 years to move directly from the practice of law to the bench. He became chief justice in August 2010.
Before he was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court, Nuss started a law practice with the Salina firm of Clark, Mize & Linville, Chartered, in August 1982. For the next 20 years, he was involved in a wide range of legal issues and proceedings. He represented the prosecution and the defense in various criminal matters and the plaintiff and the defendant in different civil matters.
Nuss is a member of the American, Kansas and Topeka Bar Associations. He was appointed an honorary Marshal of Dodge City in 2010. In 2011, he was selected to participate in the Henry Toll Fellowship, a nationwide leadership development program for highly recognized state leaders.
Nuss graduated from the University of Kansas in 1975, the U.S. Naval Justice School of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1977, and the University of Kansas School of Law in 1982. In between obtaining his degrees from the University of Kansas, Nuss served in the United States Marine Corps as a combat engineering officer in the Western Pacific.
The Conference of Chief Justices was founded in 1949 and is composed of the top judicial officers of each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The national court association promotes the interests and effectiveness of state judicial systems by developing policies and educational programs designed to improve court operations. Conference of Chief Justices also acts as the primary representative of the state courts before Congress and federal executive agencies.