TOPEKA—District Judge Steven Montgomery of the 6th Judicial District has been appointed to sit with the Kansas Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in one case on the court's April 29 docket.
After hearing oral arguments, Montgomery will join Supreme Court justices in their deliberations and decision drafting.
“I am pleased that District Judge Montgomery is taking time from his duties in the 6th Judicial District to sit with the Supreme Court,” said Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. “It's a great help to our court, and we look forward to his contributions in deliberating and eventually deciding this case.”
Montgomery became a judge in the 6th Judicial District, composed of Miami, Linn, and Bourbon counties, in 2006.
“It is humbling to receive this special assignment from the Supreme Court," Montgomery said. "Sitting with the court will, no doubt, provide me valuable insight into the appellate process in the context of the interconnections between the appellate and trial courts.”
Montgomery received a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and a law degree from Washburn University School of Law. Before becoming a judge, he was staff counsel for the Kansas Department of Revenue, in private practice, and served as city attorney for three Kansas municipalities and as county counselor for Jefferson County.
Since 2015, Montgomery has been a board member, professor, and judge for The Leavitt Institute of International Development, which provides legal education to law students, attorneys, and judges in Eastern Europe. He has been active in the Earl E. O’Connor Inn of Court in the Kansas City area since 2012 and a board member since 2013. He is a past member of the Kansas-Lower Republican River Basin Advisory Committee and a 10-year past board member of the Kansas Wildlife Federation.
All Supreme Court oral arguments are webcast live through the Watch Supreme Court Live! link in the right-hand column of the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org.
The case Montgomery will hear is the fifth one scheduled on the court's 9 a.m. docket April 29:
Case No.120,744: In the Matter of Thomas Caleb Boone, Respondent
Original Proceeding Related to Attorney Discipline: (Indefinite suspension) The ethical complaint in this case involves Boone's representation of C.Z. against the Osawatomie State Hospital ending in the complaint being dismissed as a sanction against Boone. It also involves representation of a roofing company in a mechanic's lien action resulting in a counterclaim award against the roofing company based on Boone's actions. The hearing panel recommends Boone's license to practice law be indefinitely suspended. The panel acknowledged Boone had developed a workable, substantial, and detailed plan of probation. However, the panel believed placing Boone on probation is not in the best interests of the legal profession and Kansans. Boone has an extensive disciplinary record and spent nine years on probation for having violated many of the same rules he violated in this case. The panel stated any benefits to be gained by supervision have already been realized. The disciplinary administrator recommends indefinite suspension. Boone recommended he be indefinitely suspended but that the suspension be suspended and he be placed on probation.