April 2020 News Releases

04/30/2020
Wichita lawyer appointed to Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program board

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed Christopher Garcia to the Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program board.

Garcia, a Wichita lawyer, will serve a term ending June 30, 2025.

Garcia has practiced criminal law since 1997 and has specialized in working with alcoholics and addicts since 2001. He has been the defense ...

04/29/2020
Chief justice reappoints Jerome Hellmer to Kansas Government Ethics Commission

TOPEKA — Chief Justice Marla Luckert reappointed Jerome Hellmer, a retired judge, to the Kansas Government Ethics Commission.

Hellmer’s ...

04/28/2020
Chief justice appoints Amber Smith to Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

TOPEKA—Chief Justice Marla Luckert appointed Amber Smith as her designee on the Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Smith succeeds Justice ...

04/27/2020
Chief Judge Preston Pratt appointed to Kansas Board of Examiners of Court Reporters

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed Chief Judge Preston Pratt of the 17th Judicial District to fill an unexpired term on the Kansas Board of ...

04/24/2020
New attorneys to take state oath by videoconference

TOPEKA—Successful applicants to the February 2020 Kansas bar examination will be sworn in as Kansas attorneys today.

Because the Kansas Judicial Center is closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the attorneys will be sworn in by videoconference.

Chief Justice Marla Luckert of the Supreme Court and Chief Judge Julie ...

04/22/2020
Spence Koehn appointed to Kansas Sentencing Commission, Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission

TOPEKA—Chief Justice Marla Luckert appointed Spence Koehn to fill unexpired terms on two Kansas commissions.

Koehn joined the Kansas Supreme Court's Office of Judicial Administration in March as court services officer specialist. He will serve on the Kansas Sentencing Commission and the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform ...

04/21/2020
Supreme Court appoints Vanessa Dudley-Miller to Task Force on Permanency Planning

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed Vanessa Dudley-Miller to an unexpired term on the Supreme Court Task Force on Permanency Planning.

Dudley-Miller, Topeka, is executive director of Kansas Court Appointed Special Advocates. Her term ends June 30, 2023.

The Supreme Court established the working task force in 1984. ...

04/17/2020
Some district courts to resume issuing marriage licenses

Remote process will serve marriage license applicants statewide.

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court announced today that its Office of Judicial Administration worked with judicial districts to create a process that will allow some district courts to resume issuing marriage licenses while ...

04/17/2020
Supreme Court releases guidance on bar admission examination

TOPEKA—Today the Kansas Supreme Court announced guidance for bar exam applicants, law schools, and legal employers to let them know what to anticipate in the coming weeks as the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic ...

04/11/2020
Kansas Supreme Court announces ruling in case involving revocation of governor’s executive order
TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court today invalidated the Legislative Coordinating Council's April 8 revocation of Governor Laura Kelly's COVID-19 Executive Order 20-18.

After hearing arguments electronically this morning in Kelly v. Legislative Coordinating Council et al., the

04/08/2020
Chief Judge E. Leigh Hood of the 16th Judicial District to retire June 1

TOPEKA—Chief Judge E. Leigh Hood of the 16th Judicial District will retire June 1 after nearly 20 years of service.

He was elected a district ...

04/08/2020
Supreme Court names Laura Lewis new chief judge of 16th Judicial District

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court has appointed District Judge Laura Lewis as chief judge of the 16th Judicial District effective June 1 through December 31 ...

04/08/2020
Supreme Court issues orders affecting attorney registration and continuing legal education requirements

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court issued three administrative orders today that change deadlines and other requirements for annual attorney registration and continuing legal education reporting.
 
“The social distancing needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 created unexpected challenges for attorneys who were ...

04/03/2020
Supreme Court issues two new administrative orders in its COVID-19 pandemic response

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court today issued two new administrative orders to add direction to courts and clarity to court users about how courts function during the COVID-19 pandemic response.

“The need to reduce in-person contact as much as possible is paramount to our state’s COVID-19 response,” said Chief ...