Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 48-1207

  • Attack: means any action or series of actions taken by an enemy of the United States resulting in substantial damage or injury to persons or property in this state whether through sabotage, bombs, missiles, shellfire, or atomic, radiological, chemical, bacteriological, or biological means or other weapons or methods. See Kansas Statutes 48-1203
  • Office: includes all state and local offices, the powers and duties of which are defined by the constitution, statutes, charters, and ordinances, except the office of governor, and except those in the legislature and the judiciary. See Kansas Statutes 48-1203
  • Unavailable: means either that a vacancy in office exists and there is no deputy authorized to exercise all of the powers and discharge the duties of the office, or that the lawful incumbent of the office (including any deputy exercising the powers and discharging the duties of an office because of a vacancy) and his or her duly authorized deputy are absent or unable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office. See Kansas Statutes 48-1203

In the event that any judge of any court is unavailable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of his or her office, and in the event no other judge authorized to act in the event of absence, disability or vacancy or no special judge appointed in accordance with the provisions of the constitution or statutes is available to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of such office, the duties of the office shall be discharged and the powers exercised by the special emergency judges hereinafter provided for:

(a) The governor shall designate a special emergency justice for a justice of the supreme court when a justice of the supreme court is unavailable following an attack.

(b) The chief justice of the supreme court in consultation with the other justices of said court, shall designate a special emergency judge for each judge of a court of record, except a justice of the supreme court, when such a judge is unavailable after an attack.

(c) The judge of the district court (or the presiding or senior judge of a district in consultation with other judges of that district where there is more than one judge) shall designate a special emergency judge for any court not of record within that district when the regular judge of such a court is unavailable after an attack.

Such special emergency judges shall exercise the powers and discharge the duties of such office in case of the unavailability of the regular judge and shall discharge the duties and exercise the powers of such office until such time as a vacancy which may exist shall be filled in accordance with the constitution and statutes or until the regular judge becomes available to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office.