Supreme Court visit to Logan
9:30 a.m.
Tuesday
April 29
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The Kansas Supreme Court will visit the city of Logan in Phillips County as part of its ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the court, its work, and the overall role of the Kansas judiciary.
Oral argument and public reception
The Supreme Court will hear one case at:
LIFE Center
Logan Intergenerational Family Education Center
601 W North Street
Logan
Area high school students and members of the public are invited to attend the special session in person. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in one case. When the session ends, justices will greet the public in an informal reception.
Event schedule
8:15 a.m.
Doors open
9:30–9:50 a.m.
Chief Justice Marla Luckert will give an introduction on courts
10–10:45 a.m.
Oral argument
10:45–11:30 a.m.
Public reception
About oral argument
To learn about oral argument, visit Supreme Court Guide to Oral Argument.
Quiet, please
Talking during oral argument is prohibited. If you arrive after the session starts, or you must leave before it ends, be as quiet as possible entering and exiting. Also, do not talk outside the doors to the room where oral arguments are heard.
Security screening
If you attend in person, plan to arrive early to allow time to get through a security screening. Follow these guidelines to make your check-in as quick and easy as possible:
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Do not bring large bags, large purses, backpacks, computer cases, or briefcases.
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Do not bring knives, pepper spray, firearms, or weapons.
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Do not bring electronic devices such as laptop computers, handheld games, personal digital assistants, or tablets. If you must carry a cell phone, turn off or silence its ringer, and store it out of sight.
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Do not bring food or drink.
Oral argument livestream
If you can't attend in person, the special session will be streamed live online at www.YouTube.com/KansasSupremeCourt.
Case on docket
The court publishes a booklet for the special session that explains the proceedings and describes the case to be heard.
Appeal No. 127,534: State of Kansas vs. Stanton S. Holt
Counsel for Appellant: Kristen Patty
Counsel for Appellee: Andrew Lohmann, assistant solicitor general, Kansas Attorney General’s Office
Geary County: (Criminal Appeal) Holt is serving two consecutive life sentences plus 123 to 355 years in prison. A jury convicted Holt in 1994 in Geary County District Court of two counts of first-degree murder, as well as multiple counts of aggravated burglary and other charges related to a series of burglaries in 1993. In October 2020, Holt filed a motion for postconviction DNA testing of trial evidence. The district court initially ordered the evidence be sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab for testing. However, the district court later rescinded the testing order and denied Holt’s motion after hearing testimony from a KBI supervisor at an evidentiary hearing. The KBI supervisor testified that the evidence the lab received wasn’t appropriately preserved and lacked documentation. The district court concluded that because of how the evidence had been packaged and stored since the trial, DNA testing of the evidence would not produce results accurate to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. Holt appeals, claiming the district court erred in denying his motion. Holt asserts Kansas law allows him to seek DNA testing and that whether the results of the testing would be accurate to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty is not a factor under the law. The State argues the district court correctly denied Holt's motion for postconviction DNA testing because the evidence had undergone DNA testing at the time of trial. It further argues that even if new DNA testing is done, the condition of the evidence would result in the DNA testing being meaningless or inconclusive.
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: