Part of the August primary ballot is a constitutional amendment that would change how the state’s Supreme Court justices are chosen.
That amendment is the focus of a special panel event in Emporia on Thursday as organized by Kansas Appleseed. “Justice for All: The Future of the Kansas Courts” will take place from 6-7:30 pm at the Fairgrounds Bowyer Community Building. 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.
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.
