TOPEKA—Kansas Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss has been named one of 48 state leaders from across the nation to attend the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program sponsored by the Council of State Governments, it was announced today.
The annual week-long seminar, named in honor of Henry Toll, a Colorado senator who founded CSG in 1933, seeks to develop leaders from all three branches of state government. This year's program, September 9-14 in Lexington, Kentucky, will focus on trends analysis, policy development, media and constituent relations, and leadership and institutional changes. The experience gives these leaders perspectives they would not ordinarily obtain during the course of their regular governmental service.
“I am looking forward to exchanging ideas with leaders from around the country on how our state governments can be improved,” Nuss said. “The timing could not be better because the results of our weighted case load study and the recommendations of our Blue Ribbon Commission will be available several months after the seminar ends.”
Nuss was selected by a national committee of state elected and appointed officials. This year's applicant pool included state leaders from all three branches and represented 42 states and two U. S. territories. Past Toll Fellowship graduates include governors, U. S. Senators and members of Congress, as well as leaders in state government.
A former Marine Corps combat engineering officer, Nuss was appointed as a justice on the Kansas Supreme Court by Governor Bill Graves in August 2002. He became chief justice in August 2010. As chief justice, Nuss serves as spokesman for the Supreme Court and exercises its general administrative authority over all courts of the state.
Nuss also currently serves as Chairman of the Kansas Judicial Council, an organization created in 1927 by the Kansas Legislature. The Judicial Council, whose members include the chairpersons of the judiciary committees of the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives, is authorized by the legislature to study any area of law and to recommend improvements in the administration of justice.
Chief Justice Nuss is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Law, the Appellate Judges School at New York University School of Law and the United States Naval Justice School of Newport, Rhode Island.
The Council of State Governments is the premier multibranch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. CSG alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. CSG promotes excellence in decision-making and leadership skills and champions state sovereignty.
For more information about the Henry Toll Fellowship Program, contact Krista Rinehart at (859) 244-8249.