Kansas Supreme Court to stream video of oral arguments
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Chief Justice Lawton Nuss
Next week, the Kansas Supreme Court will start a video stream of oral arguments. The video stream will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 27-31. The Judicial Branch Internet web site is www.kscourts.org.
During oral arguments, each side's attorney makes a presentation to the court and answers questions from the justices.
"With this video stream, the court will be even more open in its work. Now everyone, regardless of their location, can observe the justices in session," Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said. "Next week's docket provides an excellent example of the benefit this technology brings to our citizens because the appeals include the one involving the construction permit of the proposed Holcomb coal electricity generating plant."
The appeal of the coal-fired plant will be at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 31.
The Chief Justice is proud of the court's history to make its work accessible to the public. A news release from the Office of Judicial Administration mentions allowing news cameras in the courtroom in 1981, starting one of the first state court websites in the country in 1996 and audio-streaming oral arguments in 2004.
"In 2011 we took the historic step of hearing oral arguments at four locations beyond our courtroom in Topeka," Nuss said. "They included sessions at the Statehouse in Topeka along with Salina, Greensburg and Wichita. The sessions helped us achieve our goal of showing Kansans who we are, what we do and how we do it."
Kansas will become the 23rd state appellate court to offer a video stream of oral arguments, and one of only 13 that stream live.
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