Supreme Court to begin live audio feed of oral arguments

TOPEKA—Beginning with next week's oral arguments, the Supreme Court will make available live audio of all cases argued before it via the Court's Internet site, www.kscourts.org.

Chief Justice Kay McFarland said the live audio stream is a continued effort to make the Court's hearings as widely accessible as possible. An archive of the arguments on the Court website also will be maintained throughout the year so that persons unable to listen as the cases are argued may tune in later at their convenience.

The Supreme Court first used the Internet for broadcast of an oral argument on August 30 when both an audio and a video stream of arguments on the constitutionality of the state's school finance act were transmitted from its courtroom. The video was provided by representatives of the state's public television stations and made available through the websites of the Kansas Judicial Branch and Kan-Ed Live!, an Internet site maintained by the State Board of Regents.

The Court does not have the equipment or personnel available to produce video broadcasts of its cases, but can make the audio stream available through an existing sound system from the courtroom.

"We believe it important that citizens have the opportunity to take advantage of this technology to hear first-hand the matters that are argued before the Court," the Chief Justice said. "Even more, those whose appeals are being argued can tune in and listen to their attorney's presentations and any questions by the justices without having to drive to the Judicial Center," she said.

The Supreme Court was among the first appellate courts in the country to routinely post its decisions on the Internet and has been doing that since the mid-1990s.