The Kansas Judicial Branch has released the full schedule of interviews with local attorneys who have applied to serve as judges in Douglas County District Court.
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.
Lawyers and legislators are split on whether to do away with assurances that Kansans will have their trial handled in an efficient manner, with concerns that provision will make it more difficult for the state s court system to recover from the blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kansas is one of at least a dozen states that have provisions in their state law enshrining a defendant s right to a speedy trial. Under current law, a case must be brought to trial within 150 days, or 180 days if someone is out on bail. Otherwise, those cases must be dismissed and can t be brought again.