A forum highlighting potential changes to the selection method for Kansas Supreme Court justices has officially been rescheduled.
Kansas Appleseed has moved its “Justice for All: The Future of the Kansas Courts” panel discussion to July 23. The location has also changed from the Bowyer Community Building to the Emporia Arts Center.
The panel discussion 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.
A constitutional amendment on the August primary ballot 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.
