TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court announced the two cases it will hear April 12 at Hiawatha High School, the next destination in the court's ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the high court, its work, and the overall role of the Kansas judiciary.
It will be the Supreme Court's first visit to Hiawatha in the court's 155-year history and it will be the fourth time for the court to hear cases in the evening. The court's first evening session was in April 2015 in Hays and it drew a record crowd of nearly 700 people. Crowds numbering in the hundreds came to subsequent evening sessions in Garden City in fall 2015 and Topeka in March.
"The Supreme Court extends a personal invitation to the people of Hiawatha and surrounding communities to come see the court in action," said Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss. "We've provided live webcasts of our courtroom sessions in Topeka since 2012, but people tell us there's nothing like seeing proceedings in person."
The court will be in session from 6:30 p.m. to about 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the auditorium of Hiawatha High School at 600 Red Hawk Drive in Hiawatha.
The docket includes:
Appeal No. 111,375: State of Kansas v. Luther Johnson. Johnson appeals his convictions and sentence for first-degree murder and aggravated burglary in Wyandotte County District Court. He contends the district court erroneously omitted jury instructions, excluded relevant evidence, denied his motions for continuance and new trial, and imposed an unconstitutional sentence.
Appeal No. 109,864: Willis L. Armstrong and Stephanie J. Prohaska v. Bromley Quarry & Asphalt, Inc., et al. In this Atchison County case, Armstrong and Prohaska seek to resolve their claim that Bromley Quarry & Asphalt trespassed and mined rock from their part of the quarry without permission. Bromley stipulated to mining some rock between 2009 and 2011, but denies moving other rock. The parties also disagree on damages owed.
The public is invited to attend the proceedings and observe the court as it hears oral arguments. After the session concludes, the justices will greet the public in an informal reception in the Hiawatha High School commons area.
Audience members are prohibited from talking during oral arguments because it interferes with the attorneys' remarks and questions asked by the justices. If someone arrives after proceedings start, or must leave the auditorium before it ends, he or she should be as quiet as possible entering and exiting the auditorium. Talking immediately outside the auditorium is also discouraged.
Hiawatha High School is the court's 11th destination since 2011, when the court convened outside of the Kansas Judicial Center to mark the state sesquicentennial. Stops in 2011 included the historic Supreme Court courtroom in the Capitol, and locations in Salina, Greensburg, and Wichita. The court visited Overland Park in 2012, Pittsburg in 2013, Kansas City in 2014, Hays and Garden City in 2015, and Topeka in March 2016.