Kansas Supreme Court

I plan to attend the Kansas Supreme Court hearings on Sept 21 to lean how the Court deals with matters from the Office of the Disciplinary Administrator, which is the state agency that reviews complaints of misconduct against lawyers.

I tried to comply with Supreme Court Rule 1001, paragraph 10 that says the Court must have a week’s notice of one’s intentions to make recordings:

From: Earl F Glynn
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 14:45
To: ‘Ron Keefover’
Subject: Request to make audio recording and/or Tweet from Supreme Court Hearing on Sept 21, 2009

Mr. Ron Keefover
Education-Information Officer
Kansas Judicial Center

Dear Mr. Keefover:

I’m seeking permission for the following at the Supreme Court hearings on Sept 21, 2009:

1) Audio recording. I’d like to record the hearings using a small digital voice recorder. I would make the recordings from a regular seat in the court room and do not require any other microphone or special placement of this device.

2) Tweeting. I’d like the option to post updates on Twitter about the court proceedings as they happen using either a cell phone or a notebook computer with a wireless attachment to the Internet.

Thank you.

Earl F Glynn
Researcher / Investigator
Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
Overland Park, KS 66214

Today I received the Court’s decision:

From: Ron Keefover [mailto:keefoverr@kscourts.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 13:02
To: Earl F Glynn

Subject: Re: Request to make audio recording and/or Tweet from Supreme Court Hearing on Sept 21, 2009

I presented your requests to the Supreme Court this week and I have been advised that they have been denied. Audio recordings are broadcast live via the Internet at www.kscourts.org and the Court is not amenable to amending Supreme Court Rule 1001 to permit use of recording devices, cell-phones, laptops or similar devices in the Courtroom.

Ron Keefover
Education-Information Officer
Kansas Judicial Center

I will try again at some future Court hearing for permission to make audio recordings and/or Tweet.  I find audio recordings are the best way to make accurate quotations.

Perhaps I should make a follow-up request asking permission from inside the court room to record their Internet audio stream using a notebook computer and wireless Internet connection.  That way I would not be broadcasting anything but could still capture their audio stream to study later. 

For now, no Tweeting from the Kansas Supreme Court!

Related:

• Federal judge says ‘Twitter is on’, Wichita Eagle’s blog:  What the Judge Ate for Breakfast — News from inside Wichita’s courts, Feb 23, 2009.