Latest Court News

COVID-19 Update 

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New Administrative Order 2021-PR-009

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Order Continuing Administrative Orders Suspending Statutes of Limitation, Statutory Time Standards, Deadlines, and Time Limitations Under the Legislature's Ratification and Continuation of the State of Disaster Emergency related to COVID-19 through March 31, 2021.

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Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, an emergency exists that poses a threat of imminent and potentially lethal harm to those who may have contact with a carrier of COVID-19. Rapid escalation of the emergency required the comprehensive measures we put in place on March 18,2020, in 2020-PR-016. Our March 18, 2020 order and this order are necessary to protect the health and safety of Kansans, including our judicial branch employees and judges. While 2020-PR-016 did not contain an expiration date, the Kansas Supreme Court announced it would review the order after two weeks to determine if the order should stay in place and if so, whether amendments were warranted. The result was the administrative order 2020-PR-32, which amends 2020-PR-016 and can be found here.

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Citepay and Kansas Payment Center:
 
All Traffic, Criminal and Juvenile fines/court costs/restitution can be paid at the following site: https://www.citepayusa.com/payments/welcome.do. You will need your case number to pay online.
 
Child Support payment can be paid at http://www.kspaycenter.com/. You will need a case number to pay online.
 
Thank you!

Emergency operations are outlined in the Administrative Order, and
generally, include Essential functions:
 
State courts have been operating in a limited capacity since March 18 under earlier Supreme Court orders issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Courts initially were restricted to only essential functions, but they were later permitted to perform additional functions, to the extent local resources and circumstances allowed.
 
Essential functions generally include:

• determining probable cause for persons arrested without a warrant;

• first appearances;

• bond hearings;

• warrants for adults and juveniles;

• juvenile detention hearings;

• care and treatment emergency orders;

• protection from abuse and protection from stalking temporary orders;

• child in need of care hearings and orders;

• commitment of sexually violent predators; and

• isolation and quarantine hearings and orders.

Many courts, including the Supreme Court, have been carrying out their duties through remote hearings involving videoconferencing technology.
 
For a complete list of judicial branch actions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, visit Kansas Courts Response to COVID-19.
 
For questions please leave a message with the Clerk of the District Court at (913) 573-2946 or email khill@wycokck.org
 

Providing access to courts while protecting the public and our workforce

On March 18, 2020, the Supreme Court released Administrative Order 2020-PR-016 directing all district and appellate courts to cease all but emergency operations until further order. On April 3, 2020, the Supreme Court released Administrative Order 2020-PR-32 amending Administrative Order 2020-PR-016 to:

• rename emergency operations as essential functions;

• clarify that litigation conduct is not limited when it does not involve a judge or court employee;

• encourage parties to meet deadlines that do not require in-person proceedings;

• confirm state courts must have staffing necessary to carry out essential functions and nonessential functions may be performed as local resources and circumstances allow;

• clarify that hearings related to nonessential functions may occur, but only by telephone conference or videoconference;

• clarify that court staff, whether working in a courthouse or from home, may perform both essential and nonessential functions; and

• clarify that courts continue to accept electronic filings in all case types and explain that processing of filings related to nonessential functions may be delayed depending on staffing levels and demands of essential functions.

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Statutes of limitations and statutory time standards suspended

The 2020 House Substitute for Senate Bill No. 102 referenced in Administrative Order 2020-PR-016 was published in the March 19, 2020, Kansas Register. It permits the chief justice to suspend until further order all statutes of limitations and statutory time standards or deadlines that apply to conducting or processing judicial proceedings. During the effective dates of the order, no action will be dismissed for lack of  prosecution.