Kansas Supreme Court decisions overturning two brothers’ death sentences for a robbery, rape and killing spree in Wichita are likely to fuel another push by conservative Republicans to change how the justices are picked.
Senate Majority Leader and Nickerson Republican Terry Bruce says the judicial selection process will be an issue when legislators reconvene in January.
Bruce said the rulings in the cases of Jonathan and Reginald Carr were no surprise because many members of the GOP-dominated Legislature believe the justices have shown an “activist” streak.
The Supreme Court last week voided the Carr brothers’ death sentences and returned the case to Sedgwick County District Court for more proceedings. The court has yet to uphold any death sentence imposed under the state’s current capital punishment law enacted in 1994.
