Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector
photo by: Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector
Kendall Seal, director of advocacy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, speaks Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, calling a proposed measure delaying the state's speedy trial requirement an affront to the state and U.S. constitutions.
TOPEKA — Opponents of a proposal to delay or eliminate Kansans’ right to a speedy trial say if passed, the measure would be an affront to the constitution and open the door for litigation and unnecessary expenses for the state.
Amid the pandemic, jury trials have all but ceased across the county. Under the state’s current COVID-19 emergency declaration, which expires at the end of March, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert has the authority to pause trial deadlines.