Senate Judiciary Committee votes to recommend Laurie Bolton Fleming for Kansas Court of Appeals

Laurie Bolton Fleming, chief judge of the Eleventh Judicial District, received a favorable recommendation from the Kansas Senate Committee on Judiciary in a voice vote after a confirmation hearing on her appointment to the Kansas Court of Appeals.

The committee’s consideration centered on Fleming’s 13 years on the district court, her appellate experience, and her work to recruit and retain lawyers in rural southeastern Kansas. Committee members discussed her judicial philosophy — including judicial restraint and reliance on precedent — and asked about procedural and policy issues that appellate judges commonly face.

Fleming told the committee she was selected as a district judge in 2012 and has served as chief judge since 2021, overseeing five courthouses in Cherokee, Crawford and Labette counties. “I owe the people that are in my courtroom a very thorough explanation of my ruling,” Fleming said, describing her practice of writing detailed opinions and revising them multiple times before issuance. She described a judicial approach rooted in precedent, originalist statutory interpretation when a text is ambiguous, and deference to the legislature on policy matters.

Committee members asked about several topics during roughly an hour-long hearing: the shortage of attorneys in rural Kansas and local recruitment efforts; the role of appellate courts and differences between trial and appellate work; the admission and evaluation of scientific and social‑science evidence in court; and the limits of judicial review and stare decisis. Fleming said she has worked with local schools and bar associations to “grow our own attorneys” and described initiatives in her district such as a recovery court and a “grow your own attorney” pipeline. She noted that the Court of Appeals typically issues about 1,000 written opinions a year, compared with roughly 107 opinions from the Kansas Supreme Court.

On statutory and constitutional questions, Fleming told senators she follows controlling precedent but performs her own legal analysis and, when appropriate, will state why a prior decision should be reconsidered. On administrative‑law deference, she said the answer can depend on pending legislative or policy decisions and that the judiciary should be mindful of separation of powers. On scientific evidence, she said admission is governed by legal standards, including peer review, and that courts benefit from stakeholder input when designing programs that rely on empirical research.

After a brief recess for members to review materials, Senator Argebrecht moved that the committee recommend the appointment favorably; Senator Bowers seconded. The committee carried the motion by voice vote; the chair announced that the motion passed and the nomination will advance to the full Senate for confirmation. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the hearing transcript.

The committee also considered and approved meeting minutes from March and handled routine committee business before adjourning. Fleming’s nomination now proceeds to the full Senate, which will take final action on confirmation.