TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court announced the three cases it will hear October 13 at Garden City High School, its next destination in ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the high court, its work, and the overall role of the Kansas judiciary.
It will be the Supreme Court’s first visit to Garden City in the court’s 154-year history and it will be only the second time for the court to hear cases in the evening. The court’s first evening session was in April in Hays and it drew a record crowd of nearly 700 people.
The court will be in session from 6:30 p.m. to about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 13, in the auditorium of the Garden City High School at 2720 Buffalo Way.
The docket includes:
Appeal No. 108,963: Betty A. Born, et al v. Sharon L. Born and Todd J. Born, et al. This is a petition for review of a case that originated in Sedgwick County that seeks to resolve ownership interest in a family-owned business after one of the family member/owners died.
Appeal No. 109,634: City of Dodge City v. Orie J. Webb.Webb was convicted of driving under the influence in Ford County. The question before the court is whether Webb was improperly coerced into submitting to a breath test in violation of his constitutional and statutory rights under the implied consent law.
Appeal No. 110, 415: State of Kansas v. Charles C. Logsdon. Logsdon appeals a Reno County conviction for first-degree murder and other charges for which he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years. Questions before the court are whether there was sufficient evidence presented at trial to convict him, and whether the district court committed errors when it denied his motion for mistrial, when it imposed a hard-50 sentence, and when it instructed the jury on the law regarding aiding and abetting.
The public is invited to attend the proceedings and observe the court as it hears oral arguments. After the session concludes, the justices will greet the public in an informal reception in the commons area outside the auditorium.
Audience members are prohibited from talking during oral arguments because it interferes with the attorneys’ remarks and questions asked by the justices. If someone arrives after proceedings start, or must leave the auditorium before it ends, he or she should be as quiet as possible entering and exiting the auditorium. Talking immediately outside the auditorium is also discouraged.
A live stream of the special session will be available on the Internet by selecting the Watch Supreme Court Live! link on the judicial branch home page at www.kscourts.org.
“Anyone who’s ever been curious about Supreme Court proceedings should come,” said Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss. “We’ve provided live webcasts of our courtroom sessions in Topeka since 2012, but people tell us there’s nothing like seeing proceedings in person.”
Garden City High School is the court’s ninth destination since 2011, when the court convened outside of the Kansas Judicial Center to mark the state sesquicentennial. Its first stop was the historic Supreme Court courtroom in the Capitol. From there, the court conducted special sessions in Salina, Greensburg, and Wichita. The court visited Overland Park in 2012, Pittsburg in 2013, Kansas City in 2014, and Hays in 2015.