(Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Aug. 29, 2016.)
Kansas state government’s equivalent of the Catholic College of Cardinals may be moving into the spotlight this year.
What?
Yes, just as the College of Cardinals names the Pope, and its announcement is marked by a puff of white smoke rising above the Vatican, the less well-known Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission selects three candidates for open slots on the Kansas Supreme Court, and—without the puff of smoke—sends those names to the governor who selects from them a new member of the state’s highest court.
Yes, we know the names of the four governor-appointed and five lawyer-selected members of the commission, but they vote in secret, or at least have until the next vacancy on the high court occurs. A law passed this year will make public who voted for whom for the governor to choose from for that black robe and ultimate law-defining job.
So, what’s the news?