Source: Heather Reed, 785-532-6432, hreed@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, 785-532-2535, evietti@k-state.edu

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010

CONSTITUTION DAY BRINGS KANSAS COURT OF APPEALS, SPECIAL ACTIVITIES TO CAMPUS

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University is celebrating the U.S. Constitution with several activities. Highlights include a panel discussion on the diversity of the state judicial system Wednesday, Sept. 15, and Kansas Court of Appeals hearings on campus Thursday, Sept. 16.

The week kicks off with a Constitution Day booth. The booth will be open from noon to 1 p.m. all week at the food court in the K-State Student Union. People can stop by to take a Constitution quiz for a chance to win prizes or to pick up buttons and copies of the Constitution and other essential documents of American democracy.

The League of Women Voters and the Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lecture Series will present a judicial diversity panel discussing "Does the Kansas Judicial System Reflect the Diversity of our State? Does it Matter?" at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 in Forum Hall in the Union. The keynote speaker will be Marla Luckert, Kansas Supreme Court justice. The panel will include Suzanne Valdez, a University of Kansas law professor, and three judges from the Kansas Court of Appeals: Richard Greene, Henry Green Jr. and Melissa Standridge. David Procter, K-State professor and director of the Center for Engagement Community Development, will moderate the panel, and refreshments will be served afterward in the lobby.

Activities Sept. 16 begin with Kansas Court of Appeals hearings from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 1:05-2:05 p.m. in Forum Hall. Each session will consist of two 30-minute hearings. The morning hearings include appeals of a drug conviction in Butler County and a DUI conviction from Sedgwick County. Afternoon hearings include an appeal of an indecent liberties with a child conviction from Elk County and an appeal involving the suppression of evidence in a Reno County case. The hearings are open to students and the public.

"We are excited to welcome the Kansas Court of Appeals to campus," said Heather Reed, associate dean and director of student life at K-State. "The court will be hearing four cases that should be of interest to K-State students. Students and the public are welcomed to come and go. This is a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the public to observe our judicial system in action."

Following the court proceedings, the K-State Mock Trial Team will have a workshop from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Forum Hall.

An educational program about the Constitution is an annual event at K-State and is required under federal law for educational institutions that receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education.