Duties and Powers of Chief Judge

Proposed amendments to Supreme Court Rule 107

The Supreme Court accepted public comment until July 17, 2024, on proposed amendments to Rule 107: Duties and Powers of Chief Judge. 

Generally, the rule is restyled to align with other Supreme Court rules, as well as to reflect current practices. Inaddition, amendments:

• specify that only a district judge can be appointed chief judge;

• require the chief judge, or the chief judge’s designee, to consider guidelines issued by the Office of Judicial Administration when assigning court reporters;

• revise the vacation planning section to ensure adequate coverage of the court’s caseload and the prompt discharge of the judge’s adjudicative and administrative responsibilities;

• clarify that a judge must accept assignment of a case unless the judge is disqualified under Kansas law or the Code of Judicial Conduct, or the interests of justice require the judge’s recusal; and

• revise the deadline by which the chief judge must send to the Office of Judicial Administrative a second copy of the court’s budget.