Court of Appeals to sit in Leavenworth

TOPEKA—A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals will sit at the Leavenworth County Courthouse April 12 and 13 to hear oral arguments in 11 appeals arising from Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties, it was announced today.

The court sessions will begin at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, and at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13. Next week's docket marks the first time since October 2000 that a Court of Appeals panel will preside in Leavenworth. Court of Appeals Judge Henry W. Green, Jr., himself a lifetime Leavenworth resident, has been designated presiding judge for the hearings.

Green said the hearings will be somewhat special for him as he returns to his hometown to hear the appeals. While the judge still maintains his residency in Leavenworth, he has worked from the Judicial Center in Topeka since his appointment to the Court of Appeals in 1993. He said he is glad attorneys can have the cases heard locally rather than having to travel to Topeka to make their arguments.

"We also hope that those who are interested in how the courts of Kansas work may have a chance to observe and listen to arguments before our court as we travel throughout the state," Judge Green said.

The cases on the docket include appeals in two criminal cases, four domestic relations cases, two driver's license suspension cases, two civil cases, and one traffic infraction. Also presiding on the docket with Judge Green will be Court of Appeals Judge Tom Malone, of Topeka, and Senior Judge John J. Bukaty, a retired judge from Wyandotte County.