TOPEKA—Hon. Richard D. Greene, Chief Judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals, died Sunday at a Cleveland, OH, hospital from complications arising from a heart condition.
Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss said he and Chief Judge Greene had known each other since the time they were both lawyers. "He possessed two notable abilities that are hard to find in the same person. First, he had a great legal mind that allowed him to independently analyze the most complex issues. Second, he was a great leader who worked tirelessly with the other Court of Appeals judges, plus their lawyers and staff, to manage their huge caseload," Chief Justice Nuss said.
"I will miss his scholarship and his leadership, but most of all, his friendship. His passing is a big loss for Kansas," he said.
Judge Thomas Malone, who has been serving as acting chief judge of the Court of Appeals, said: "Richard Greene was a great friend and an outstanding chief for the Court of Appeals. As a judge, Richard was dedicated to the rule of law and his only allegiance was to the Constitution. He will be deeply missed and his passing is a huge loss for the state of Kansas."
Chief Judge Greene was born in Hermann, Missouri, on January 9, 1950. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1972, and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University-Dallas in 1975. Upon graduation he practiced law with the firm Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy for 28 years. Governor Kathleen Sebelius appointed him to the Court of Appeals in June of 2003. Greene was appointed Chief Judge by the Supreme Court effective January 10, 2011.
Judge Greene attended Appellate Judge School in the summer of 2004 at New York University. He had often been appointed to sit with the Kansas Supreme Court, and in that capacity he authored three published opinions for that court, In re Tax Appeal of Weisberger, 285 Kan. 98 (2007), State v. Alderete, 285 Kan. 359 (2007), and In re Trust D of Darby, 290 Kan. 785.
Judge Greene was active in the State Bar Association, where he served for 7 years as Editor in Chief for the Annual Survey of Law. He served as a member of the KBA's Bench-Bar Committee. He was a lecturer or education panel member for the National Association of Appellate Attorneys, Kansas Womens' Attorneys' Association, Johnson County Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas State University, Kansas University School of Law, Pittsburg State University, North Carolina Central Law School, Southwest Kansas Bar Association, Washburn University School of Law, the Wichita Bar Association, the Wyandotte County Bar Association, and the Newton Bar Association. Judge Greene received the Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association in 2007 for distinguished service to the profession. He was a member of the national Council of Chief Judges of State Courts of Appeal, and served as national chairman of its membership committee and on its executive committee.
As Chief of the Court, Judge Greene implemented a host of initiatives to make the court more tech savvy, more efficient, and more responsive to its legislative mandate to take the court to the people of Kansas. Under his leadership, the court had convened panels in all 31 judicial districts, had achieved the filing of nearly 96% of its opinions within 60 days of hearing, and had enhanced its public and educational outreach to civic clubs, local bar associations, high schools, community colleges, and major universities across our State.
Chief Judge Greene had a long history of community and charitable involvement. He has served as volunteer judge for Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas, and was a member of the emeritus council of Project Concern International where he served a Chairman of the Board in 1992-94. He was also active in his church, where he taught a Sunday adult theology class. Chief Judge Greene and his wife, Mary Sue, have a blended family of four daughters, Kristin, Julie, Katie, and Jenny, and four grand-daughters, Asheton, Savannah, Chandler, and Maddie May.
Funeral services have not been announced.