TOPEKA—Five Supreme Court justices and six Court of Appeals judges will take their oaths of office in a swearing-in ceremony before an invited audience at 11 a.m. Monday, January 9, in the Supreme Court courtroom in Topeka.
The five justices and six judges were retained in their positions by Kansas voters in the November 8 general election.
The five Supreme Court justices who will renew their oaths of office are:
The six Court of Appeal judges who will renew their oaths of office are:
Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said the simple, two-sentence oath of office is sworn to by justices and judges in the appellate courts and in all district courts across Kansas. The oath reads:
I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Kansas, and faithfully discharge the duties of the office, so help me God.
Nuss emphasized that the oath is required by the Kansas Constitution.
"Through a statewide vote years ago, the people of Kansas decided that their Constitution itself should require judges to swear to support it," he said. With this vote, "Kansans confirmed they want to live under the rule of law — where judges are sworn to uphold the people's constitutional rights regardless of politics, special interests, the judges' own personal beliefs, or the wishes of others."
Justices and appellate judges take the oath of office when they are first appointed to a court and again when they are retained on the bench by Kansas voters. When a Supreme Court justice is retained, it is for six years. For Court of Appeals judges, it is four years.
The invited audience for the swearing-in ceremony will include family, friends and professional colleagues of the judges and justices renewing their oaths of office. Anyone unable to attend in person is encouraged to watch the swearing-in ceremony online by following the Watch Supreme Court Live! link on the home page of the judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org.
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest court in the state court system and it is composed of seven justices. A Supreme Court decision sets binding legal precedent that lower courts must follow. The court approves rules of procedure and practice used throughout courts in Kansas. Under the Kansas Constitution, the court has supervisory authority over the entire judicial branch of government and over all judicial officers and court employees.
The Kansas Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appellate court and it is composed of 14 judges. The Court of Appeals hears appeals from the district courts in both civil and criminal cases, except those that may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.