The state Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases at the Lansing Middle School Auditorium before an estimated crowd of 200, part of the Court’s outreach to communities, educating them on the operations of the least-understood of the three branches of state government. The public is more familiar, and interacts more frequently, with the higher-profile executive and legislative branches.
The Lansing event was the latest in a series of hearings the Court has conducted around the state since 2011, the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood. That year, the Court convened in the Supreme Court courtroom in the Kansas Statehouse. The cities of Colby, Concordia, Dodge City, El Dorado, Emporia, Garden City, Great Bend, Greensburg, Hays, Hiawatha, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Overland Park, Parsons, Pittsburg, Salina, Wichita, and Winfield have previously played host to the state’s highest court.
The Lansing session featured appeals of two cases; one civil, the other criminal:
Appeal No. 124,160: Benchmark Property Remodeling, LLC., v. Grandmothers, Inc., CoreFirst Bank and Trust, Kansas Department of Revenue, Robert Zibell, and State of Kansas
The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) leased a building from Grandmothers, Inc. Benchmark submitted quotes for remodeling the building. KDOR approved the quotes, and upon completion, KDOR paid the full amount to Grandmothers. Grandmothers did not pay the full amount to Benchmark, however, and Benchmark sued both. The issues in the case surround whether a contract was in effect, if the Court of Appeals had jurisdiction in the case and if a statute of limitations was involved in the filing of the lawsuit.
Appeal No. 125,318: State of Kansas v. Zshavon Malik Dotson
Dotson is appealing his conviction of first-degree murder and 25-year sentence with no possibility of parole. Issues argued included the difference between intention to kill and premeditation, whether the district court erred in its instructions to the jury on the definition of premeditation, and if Dotson was denied a fair trial as a result.
Chief Justice Marla Luckert informed the audience at the end of the proceedings she and her colleagues will discuss the appeals, take a vote, assign a justice to write a majority opinion, and post the decision on kscourts.org.
In a news release prior to the special session, Chief Justice Luckert invited the community to see the court in action:
“It’s a great way to get to know our court, what we do, and how we do it.”
