Kansas Ties Decentralization To Court Funds

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (photo: Kansas Office of the Governor website)

Education funding got the big headlines as Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed the state’s budget into law, but the spending plan also represents the ongoing tug-of-war over centralized court administration. WIBW News 13 TV reported that “… the Kansas Supreme Court blasted the latest funding bill for the state court system [which]… changes  the way local courts are run by allowing the district court judges to elect their chief judge rather than letting the Supreme Court make the pick for each district.”

“This legislation empowers local judges to run their courts to the best of their ability while ensuring that Kansas courts stay open,” said state Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover. Critics, on the other hand, said the new law “weakens the centralized authority of the Kansas unified court system in exchange for money to pay our employees and keep courts open. And the money it provides still may fall short of even doing that. Read the WIBW story here: http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Brownback-Signs-Bill-Increasing-Court-Funding–Supreme-Court-Objects-255812051.html