Justice For All panel discussion canceled due to potential for severe weather Thursday

Kansas Appleseed has chosen to take an event focused on the proposed constitutional amendment regarding the appointment of Supreme Court justices off the community calendar for now.

“Justice For All: The Future of Kansas Courts” was scheduled to take place at the Bowyer Community Building Thursday evening. Due to the potential for severe weather, organizers have chosen to cancel the event with plans to reschedule it for a later date.

Kansas Appleseed Director Jami Reever says the organization should have a new date for the event within the next few days. KVOE will provide updates when they’re made available.

The panel discussion, once rescheduled, will be moderated by Kansas Reflector Editor Sherman Smith and will include former Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier, current Kansas House 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia and current USD 253 Emporia Board of Education President Art Gutierrez.

The constitutional amendment would eliminate the Supreme Court Nominating Commission process, where a group of attorneys and and non-attorneys reviews potential applicants for a selection by the governor, and replace that process with a public vote. Kansas Appleseed says the forum on Thursday is designed to give residents more information about the Supreme Court structure and insight into why voters chose the merit-based selection method over 60 years ago.