Kansas Case Commentaries

Kansas Supreme Court Establishes Standards for Discovery Violations and Prosecutorial Conduct in Criminal Trials: State v. Anderson

Date: Mar 2, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Establishes Standards for Discovery Violations and Prosecutorial Conduct in Criminal Trials: State v. Anderson Introduction State of Kansas v. Todge Anton Anderson (543 P.3d...

Kansas Supreme Court Sets New Precedent on Involuntary Confessions through Deceptive Police Tactics in State v. G.O.

Date: Mar 2, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Sets New Precedent on Involuntary Confessions through Deceptive Police Tactics in State v. G.O. Introduction The landmark case of State of Kansas, Appellant, v. G.O., Appellee....

Admissibility of Evidence and Preservation of Objections in Criminal Appeals: State v. Showalter

Date: Feb 24, 2024

Admissibility of Evidence and Preservation of Objections in Criminal Appeals: State of Kansas v. Richard Daniel Showalter Introduction In State of Kansas v. Richard Daniel Showalter, 543 P.3d 508...

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Public Reprimand for Professional Incompetency in Court Reporting

Date: Feb 24, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Public Reprimand for Professional Incompetency in Court Reporting Introduction In the seminal case of In the Matter of Meghan Rogers, Respondent (543 P.3d 549), the...

Affirmation of Crowded-Docket Exception Upholding Commercial Sexual Exploitation Conviction

Date: Feb 17, 2024

Affirmation of Crowded-Docket Exception Upholding Commercial Sexual Exploitation Conviction Introduction In the landmark case of State of Kansas v. Joshua F. Sinnard, 543 P.3d 525 (Supreme Court of...

Clarifying Premeditation and Harmless Error in Prosecutorial Closing Arguments: State v. Coleman

Date: Feb 17, 2024

Clarifying Premeditation and Harmless Error in Prosecutorial Closing Arguments: State of Kansas v. Darnell D. Coleman Introduction In the landmark case of State of Kansas v. Darnell D. Coleman, the...

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Dismissing Charges in Wrongful Conviction Claims

Date: Jan 27, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Dismissing Charges in Wrongful Conviction Claims Introduction The Supreme Court of Kansas, in its 2024 decision in In the Matter of the Wrongful...

Reaffirming the Contemporaneous Objection Requirement: Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies K.S.A. 60-404 in Evidentiary Challenges

Date: Jan 13, 2024

Reaffirming the Contemporaneous Objection Requirement: Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies K.S.A. 60-404 in Evidentiary Challenges Introduction In State of Kansas v. Mark Scheetz, 541 P.3d 79 (Kansas...

Extension of the Automobile Exception: Probable Cause Applies to Entire Travelling Unit

Date: Jan 13, 2024

Extension of the Automobile Exception: Probable Cause Applies to Entire Travelling Unit Introduction State of Kansas v. Frank Raymond Crudo is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Kansas,...

Kansas Supreme Court Reinforces Distinction Between Civil Battery and Negligence in Police Use of Force Claims

Date: Jan 6, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Reinforces Distinction Between Civil Battery and Negligence in Police Use of Force Claims Introduction In the case of Jason Unruh v. City of Wichita, et al. (540 P.3d 1002), the...

Bilbrey v. Kansas: Defining 'Lackluster Advocacy' for Pre-Sentencing Plea Withdrawals

Date: Feb 11, 2023

Bilbrey v. Kansas: Defining 'Lackluster Advocacy' for Pre-Sentencing Plea Withdrawals Introduction In State of Kansas v. Dustin William Eugene Bilbrey, the Kansas Supreme Court addressed pivotal...

State of Kansas v. Rachael C. Hilyard: Upholding Premeditated Murder Conviction through Circumstantial Evidence and Clarifying Legal Standards

Date: Aug 20, 2022

State of Kansas v. Rachael C. Hilyard: Upholding Premeditated Murder Conviction through Circumstantial Evidence and Clarifying Legal Standards Introduction In the landmark case of State of Kansas v....

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Classified Service Protections for Highway Patrol Majors in Bruce v. Kelly

Date: Aug 6, 2022

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Classified Service Protections for Highway Patrol Majors in Bruce v. Kelly Introduction In Mark A. Bruce v. Laura Kelly, et al. (514 P.3d 1007), the Supreme Court of...

Limitation of Self-Defense Immunity: Reckless Conduct and Unintended Bystander Injury in Kansas

Date: Jul 30, 2022

Limitation of Self-Defense Immunity: Reckless Conduct and Unintended Bystander Injury in Kansas Introduction The case of State of Kansas v. Dexter Betts (514 P.3d 341) presents a pivotal examination...

Clarifying Supervision Terms in Sentencing: Insights from State of Kansas v. Jeffrey Scott Collier

Date: Jul 16, 2022

Clarifying Supervision Terms in Sentencing: Insights from State of Kansas v. Jeffrey Scott Collier Introduction In the landmark case of State of Kansas v. Jeffrey Scott Collier, the Supreme Court of...

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Jury Instruction Standards and Felon Firearm Conviction Evidence in State v. Valdez

Date: Jul 2, 2022

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Jury Instruction Standards and Felon Firearm Conviction Evidence in State v. Valdez Introduction In State of Kansas v. Joseph Miguel Valdez, 512 P.3d 1125 (Kan. 2022),...

Application of Emergency Aid Exception and Digital Evidence Handling in State of Kansas v. Jeff Hillard

Date: Jun 11, 2022

Application of Emergency Aid Exception and Digital Evidence Handling in State of Kansas v. Jeff Hillard (511 P.3d 883) 1. Introduction State of Kansas v. Jeff Hillard, 511 P.3d 883 (Kansas Supreme...

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Indictment Amendments and Self-Defense in Felony Murder Cases

Date: Jun 4, 2022

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Indictment Amendments and Self-Defense in Felony Murder Cases Introduction In the landmark case of State of Kansas v. Luqman Yusuf Keys, 510 P.3d 706...

State v. Sieg: Kansas Supreme Court Affirms Evidence Sufficiency and Clarifies Admissibility of Related Criminal Acts

Date: May 21, 2022

State v. Sieg: Kansas Supreme Court Affirms Evidence Sufficiency and Clarifies Admissibility of Related Criminal Acts Introduction In the case of State of Kansas, Appellee, v. Orville William Sieg,...

Kansas Supreme Court Establishes Clear Venue and Burden of Proof Standards in Tax Residency Cases

Date: May 21, 2022

Kansas Supreme Court Establishes Clear Venue and Burden of Proof Standards in Tax Residency Cases Introduction The case of O. Gene Bicknell and O. Gene Bicknell as Administrator of the Estate of Rita...