Court of Appeals to hear arguments in Capitol

TOPEKA—A hearing panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals will meet in the former Supreme Court courtroom in the State Capitol next Tuesday to hear oral arguments in nine cases on appeal and draw attention to what court officials describe as a backlog at near crisis proportions.

Chief Judge J. Patrick Brazil, of the Court of Appeals, said the session was scheduled in the room as a reminder of the historical importance of the courtroom and to draw attention to the burgeoning caseload confronting the intermediate appellate court.

"It is now to the point that once briefs have been submitted and the case is ready for oral arguments, there is a built-in eight to ten-month delay in getting the matter on a docket," Chief Judge Brazil said. "This situation is not what was intended when the Legislature re-established the Court of Appeals in 1977 and it certainly isn't the kind of service that the court would like to provide to litigants and the public." Chief Judge Brazil said hope in reducing the backlog surfaced during the first six months of this year when filings in the court were down about 200 appeals. "That fact, together with the continuing assistance we are receiving from trial court judges and those retired judges participating in the senior judge program, offer some hope of turning the problem around. However, it does not appear there is a quick fix," he said.

The Legislature has resolved that the former Supreme Court Courtroom be preserved as a historic symbol of the judicial branch of government. "It is pretty much the same as when it was last used as an appellate court in 1978," he said.

The 10-member Court of Appeals sits in hearing panels of three at locations throughout the state to bring the court to the litigants, instead of requiring attorneys to travel great distances to Topeka. Joining Chief Judge Brazil for next Tuesday's hearings will be Judges Gary W. Rulon and Robert L. Gernon. The session begins at 9:30 a.m. and the public is welcome at any of the hearings.