Statehouse insiders are not surprised, but maybe intrigued, by the special session of the Legislature that Gov. Sam Brownback has called for Sept. 3 to fix the state’s hard-50 murder sentencing law.
Now, all by itself, changing state law—to have juries and not just the judge determine aggravating circumstances that boost a 25-year murder sentence to 50 years without possibility of parole as per U.S. Supreme Court order—doesn’t sound like an emergency.
But, some law enforcement clubs and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt believe that Supreme Court ruling needs to be responded to quickly…that it can’t wait until the Legislature reconvenes in January.