The Kansas Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a Wyandotte County appeal on Monday, April 1, at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive, University of Kansas campus, Lawrence.
Oral arguments will be heard in two cases, including an appeal from Jason L. Rucker, who was convicted of felony murder in the Vicky Ernst case.
Ernst had been murdered in her home in Wyandotte County in 1997, and the home had been ransacked. In 2006, a DNA match identified a man as a suspect, and the man implicated Rucker and another person in the murder.
The court will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to support Rucker’s conviction of felony murder, specifically, the underlying felonies of aggravated burglary, robbery, rape and aggravated kidnapping, and whether the trial court erred in admitting photographs of the victim.
The other case to be argued on April 1 is Dwagfy’s Manufacturing Inc., doing business as The Vapebar Topeka and Puffs ‘n’ Stuff LLC vs. the city of Topeka, Kansas. Topeka’s ordinance on furnishing or selling tobacco products or electronic cigarettes to persons under age 21 is being challenged.
The issues in the case are whether a Kansas tobacco law pre-empts the city from prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to persons under 21, and whether the city ordinance conflicts with the state law, which prohibits selling or distributing tobacco products to those who are under age 18.
The session is open to the public, and persons should arrive early to go through security screening. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. April 1, with the session scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to about 8 p.m.
The court will hear oral arguments, and the decision will be issued at a later date.
The court will meet with the public in an informal reception after oral arguments in the Lied Center lobby.