Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas Court of Appeals will hear a full docket of cases Tuesday, Sept. 17, on Kansas State University's Manhattan campus as part of the U.S. Constitution Observance Day. The court hearings, which start at 9:30 a.m. in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union, are free and open to the public.

As a federally funded educational institution, Kansas State University celebrates Constitution Observance Day every year with a series of educational events spanning two days.

"An informed electorate is important to our freedom," said Daralyn Gordon Arata, pre-law adviser. "Students will benefit from learning about their rights and responsibilities within our system of justice."

The Kansas Court of Appeals is an appellate court, which is the state's first level of appeal. Four court cases will be called: Romkes v. The University of Kansas at 9:30 a.m.; Manzano v. Kansas Department of Revenue at 10:30 a.m.; Aldrich v. State of Kansas at 1:30 p.m.; and State of Kansas v. Richmeier at 2:30 p.m.

"The students will be able to watch actual cases being tried by attorneys from around the state," Arata said. "The cases are interesting ones specifically chosen for this day at Kansas State University."

The judges will speak to the Constitutional Law Class and meet with the Mock Trial Team on Sept. 16. Then the Pre-Law Club will host a reception for students to meet with the Kansas Court of Appeals judges at 3:30 p.m. in the Union's Cottonwood Room. Following that, the judges will meet with members of the Riley County Bar Association for a reception and dinner at the Manhattan Holiday Inn at the Campus.

The two-day celebration will conclude at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Alumni Center Ballroom with the Dorothy L. Thompson Lecture Series presentation, "The Supreme Court Reconsiders the Voting Rights Act: Broken Law or Broken Promise," by Reginald Robinson, professor of law at Washburn Law School, Topeka.