The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a Kansas death penalty case that could have far-reaching implications for mental ill defendants across the nation.
in 2009, James Kahler went to the home of his estranged wife's grandmother, where he shot the two women, along with his two teenage daughters.
Kansas is one of five states where a traditional insanity defense in which a person must understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty of a crime isn't allowed. Instead, someone can cite "mental disease or defect" as a partial defense but must prove that he didn't intend to commit the crime. The other states with similar laws are Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Utah.
"We're hopeful that, in taking Mr. Kahler's case, the United States Supreme Court has indicated a desire to find that the Constitution requires better of us in our treatment of mentally ill defendants," Carver-Allmond said."We think the state's approach, providing for an insanity defense based on mental disease or defect, satisfies constitutional requirements," Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in an emailed statement.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kansas City Star: Mike Pompeo 'avoiding ruling things out' on his political future in KansasSecretary of State Mike Pompeo is not ruling out a future run for office in his home state of Kansas, he said in an interview published on Sunday
Read more »
Supreme Court will take up immigration-related case next termThe Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a case next term concerning Kansas' prosecution of three undocumented immigrants for using stolen Social Security numbers in an effort to gain employment.
Read more »
Kansas state agency calls Donald Trump a 'delusional communist' in reply to president's tweet'You’re a delusional Communist. You know it’s Communist countries that try to control media, right?,' the south central KDOT account said in a reply tweet to Trump.
Read more »
Kansas state employee calls Trump a ‘delusional communist’ on official Twitter accountThe person who sent the tweet following Trumps criticism of Fox News anchors no longer works at the state transportation agency, officials say.
Read more »
Kansas hopes to resurrect proof-of-citizenship voting lawFederal appeals court to hear arguments over constitutionality of a struck-down Kansas statute that required people to provide documents proving their US citizenship before they could register to vote.
Read more »
Kansas hopes to resurrect proof-of-citizenship voting lawSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal appeals court will hear arguments Monday over the constitutionality of a struck-down Kansas statute that had required people to provide documents proving their U.S. citizenship before they could register to vote.
Read more »
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sparks talk about his political future with Kansas tripAsked how long he plans to be in his role, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells a crowd in Kansas, 'I'm going to be there until he tweets me out of office.'
Read more »
Missouri River flooding causes water treatment issues in Kansas CityRecord flooding along the Missouri River, rain and melting snow have impacted wa...
Read more »
No. 13 seed UC Irvine stuns Kansas StateGuards Max Hazzard and Evan Leonard each scored 19 points as No. 13 seed UC Irvi...
Read more »
March Madness: Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky highlight first day’s gamesThe NCAA tournament tips off today. Get ready for the upsets, Cinderella stories and all of March's madness.
Read more »