Kansas Supreme Court

Coordinates: 39°02′44″N 95°40′45″W / 39.045536°N 95.679068°W / 39.045536; -95.679068
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kansas Supreme Court
LocationTopeka, Kansas
Composition methodMissouri plan with retention elections
Authorized byKansas Constitution
Decisions are appealed toSupreme Court of the United States
Judge term length6 years
Number of positions7
WebsiteOfficial website
Chief Justice
CurrentlyLawton Nuss
SinceAugust 1, 2010
Lead position endsJanuary 8, 2023

The Kansas Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the state of Kansas. It has seven justices. It is led by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals process.[1]

History[change | change source]

After the Kansas–Nebraska Act passed in 1854, President Franklin Pierce chose Samuel Dexter LeCompte as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Kansas Territory.[2]

Notable cases[change | change source]

State v. Limon[change | change source]

In State v. Limon, the Kansas Supreme Court unanimously struck down part of a law that sentenced Matthew Limon to prison over a decade longer than a heterosexual would have received. This was because there were different age of consent laws for homosexuals.[3]

Montoy v. Kansas[change | change source]

The court has ruled that the $2.7 billion in school funding was not good enough and was given out unfairly. It then suggested the Kansas legislature increase money for schools and change the way the money was given out.[4][5][6][7] Many Republicans saw this as judicial activism. Some Republicans called for changes in how justices are chosen.[8]

Hermesmann v. Seyer[change | change source]

In Hermesmann v. Seyer, the Court said that a woman is can sue the father of her child for child support even if conception happened because of a criminal act (such as statutory rape) committed by the woman against the father. It also said that a mother being a possible criminal due to the criminal statutes had nothing to do with determining the father's child support amount.[9]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Kansas Supreme Court Purpose and Authority". Archived from the original (English) on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  2. "Samuel Dexter Lecompte, 1814-1888". www.territorialkansasonline.org. June 15, 2006. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. "The Other Matthew". Archived from the original (English) on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  4. "Montoy v. Kansas". Archived from the original (English) on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  5. "School Suit Means More Stability, But Much Is Unsettled" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  6. "Timeline of Events in School Finance Lawsuit" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  7. "Vonnegut: Lawyers Could Use Literary Lesson" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  8. "Committee Considers Changing Selection of Supreme Court Justices" (English). Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  9. Rowland, Debran (2005). The boundaries of her body : the troubling history of women's rights in America. Naperville, Ill.: Sphinx Pub. pp. 448–449. ISBN 978-1572485068.

Other websites[change | change source]

39°02′44″N 95°40′45″W / 39.045536°N 95.679068°W / 39.045536; -95.679068