Kansas Statutes Annotated

Kansas Statutes Annotated
Name	Kansas Statutes Annotated
Jurisdiction	Kansas
Publisher	Gale (formerly West Publishing)
First pub	19th century
Language	English

Kansas Statutes Annotated is the official annotated compilation of statutes enacted by the Kansas Legislature and organized for research and citation. It functions as a primary statutory repository relied upon by the Kansas Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, state agencies such as the Kansas Department of Revenue, and legal practitioners in firms like Foulston Siefkin and organizations represented in litigation before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The work is used alongside doctrinal resources from institutions such as the University of Kansas School of Law and the Washburn University School of Law.

Overview

The Kansas Statutes Annotated compiles statutory text enacted by the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas Senate together with editorial annotations, cross-references, and historical notes used by judges in the Kansas Court of Appeals, clerks in the Shawnee County Courthouse, and attorneys in cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. It provides statutory language that is cited in opinions by jurists such as those who have served on the Kansas Supreme Court and informs administrative rulemaking by agencies like the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The annotations are used in legal research alongside secondary sources produced by entities such as West Publishing and academic commentators from Kansas State University.

History and Publication

The development of annotated statutory compilations in the United States followed precedents set by early compilers and publishers including John Bouvier and firms like Banks & Sons (publisher), with commercial annotated codes becoming widespread in the 19th and 20th centuries; the Kansas compilation evolved amid this national trend and the institutional history of the Kansas Legislature. Publication has involved private legal publishers including West Publishing (now part of Thomson Reuters) and later arrangements with publishers such as Gale (publisher) under the imprint of companies serving libraries at Kansas State University and law schools such as Washburn University School of Law. Revisions over time have reflected landmark statutes enacted during periods associated with governors like Clyde M. Reed and Laura Kelly, and have been cited in landmark decisions at the intersection of state law and federal doctrine such as cases that reached the United States Supreme Court.

Organization and Structure

The compilation is arranged in titles, chapters, and sections mirroring the codification approach used by many states and by federal compilations like the United States Code. Each section entry ordinarily includes the statute text, historical notes, cross-references to related provisions cited in opinions from the Kansas Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit, and editorial annotations comparing developments in jurisdictions such as Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa. The arrangement facilitates citation in briefs filed by counsel from firms like Hinkle Law Firm and in memoranda prepared by public defenders affiliated with the Kansas Defenders offices. The annotations summarize key judicial interpretations by judges who have served on courts such as the United States District Court for the District of Kansas and reference secondary commentary from law reviews at University of Kansas School of Law and Washburn Law Journal.

Legal Authority and Use

While statutory text within the compilation is enacted by the Kansas Legislature and has statutory force as interpreted by the Kansas Supreme Court, the editorial annotations are the product of publishers and serve as persuasive secondary sources often used by litigants before trial courts like those in Johnson County, Kansas and appellate panels of the Kansas Court of Appeals. Judges, clerks, and practitioners cite statutory sections from the compilation in matters involving agencies such as the Kansas Corporation Commission and the Kansas Department of Labor, and in disputes heard by federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The work is employed in transactional practice by corporate counsel for entities like Spirit AeroSystems and in public interest litigation by organizations such as the ACLU of Kansas.

Access and Availability

The Kansas Statutes Annotated is available in print in law libraries at institutions including the University of Kansas School of Law and the Kansas State Law Library, and electronically through subscription services maintained by publishers like Thomson Reuters and Gale (publisher), as well as through commercial platforms accessed by firms such as Foulston Siefkin and nonprofit organizations including the Kansas Rural Center. Public access points include legislative offices in the Kansas State Capitol and research terminals in county courthouses such as Sedgwick County Courthouse. Some statutory texts are reproduced on government portals maintained by the Kansas Judicial Branch and state agencies for public retrieval.

Comparison with Other Annotated Codes

The Kansas compilation shares methodological features with annotated codes in states like Missouri Revised Statutes, Nebraska Revised Statutes, and the Oklahoma Statutes Annotated, and with the federal United States Code Annotated. Differences include editorial conventions practiced by publishers such as West Publishing versus private state codifiers and the scope of annotations compared with publications used at law schools like University of Kansas School of Law and Washburn University School of Law. Practitioners compare the Kansas annotations with resources produced by regional publishers and national services such as LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters when preparing briefs for courts including the Kansas Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Category:Kansas law