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 attorney for Sedgwick ...
	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 term runs through January 2022.Hellmer has served on the ethics commission since his January 2015 retirement as chief judge of the 28th Judicial District, which is composed of Saline and Ottawa counties. ...
	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 Caleb Stegall, who previously served in this role.Smith joined the judicial branch's Office of Judicial Administration as deputy judicial administrator in July 2019. She previously was chief ...
	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 Examiners of Court Reporters.Pratt succeeds former District Judge Jeffry Jack, who retired. Pratt’s term expires June 30, 2021.Pratt is chief judge of the 17th Judicial District, which is ...
	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 Robinson of the U.S ...
	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 Commission.Koehn has ...
	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. It advises the court on ...
	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 courts remain closed to in-person contact due to the ...
	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 continues to evolve."Our guidance answers questions and, hopefully, eases some anxieties of those waiting to hear ...
	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 Court ruled swiftly and narrowly, relying on the plain ...
	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 judge in 2000 and was appointed chief judge of the 16th Judicial District in January 2019. The district is composed of Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Kiowa, and Meade counties. "It is my hope the ...
	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, 2021.Lewis will succeed Chief Judge E. Leigh Hood, who will retire June 1.The 16th Judicial District is composed of Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Kiowa, and Meade counties“We ...
	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 nearing the deadline ...
	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 Justice Marla ...