Justice says anniversary a moment to honor value of coequal government branches
By: Tim Carpenter
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen urged Kansans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s aspirational vision of government as a protector of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Rosen, who signed a proclamation recognizing the milestone, said the Kansas Constitution reflected core principles from the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, including the necessity of a government bound by laws and enhanced by coequal but independent branches.
“The declaration announced our ideals, and it was the Constitution, the courts and generations of Americans committed to justice that built the framework to protect them,” the chief justice said. “For 250 years, Americans have worked to bring those ideals closer to reality.”
In advance of the July 4 celebration, Rosen expressed gratitude to judges, judicial employees, attorneys and others who supported work of the state’s courts.
“Through your dedication and service, you fulfill the enduring promise first declared 250 years ago,” he said.
Fifty years ago during the nation’s bicentennial celebration, Kansas officials convened July 5, 1976, to place a cornerstone during construction of the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka. It has served as headquarters of the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals.
“This milestone during our nation’s bicentennial year reflected Kansas’ own enduring commitment to constitutional government and judicial independence,” Rosen said.
The cornerstone event occurred amid a multiyear effort to bring state courts under the administrative jurisdiction of the Kansas Supreme Court and to move ahead with reestablishment of the Kansas Court of Appeals, which had been disbanded in 1901.
The Kansas Judicial Center’s design told a story of the state’s constitutional design. The new courthouse and the existing Capitol were at the same elevation and the same distance from 10th Avenue that separated the structures. The alignment symbolized the relationship between coequal judicial, legislative and executive branches of government.
“Today, we honor our history not by remembering it, but by living its principles every day — upholding the rule of law, protecting equal justice under law and earning the trust and confidence of the people we serve,” Rosen said.