Kline case headed to federal court

By DIANE CARROLL
The Kansas City Star

A lawsuit filed against Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline by eight former employees is moving to federal court.

That means that a hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday morning in Johnson County District Court will not take place, county Court Administrator Mike McLain said this afternoon.

Seven prosecutors and a chief investigator who were terminated Jan. 8 filed suit against Kline last week in Johnson County District Court. They contend that they were wrongly fired and that Kline violated their due process rights by refusing to participate in grievance hearings. They are seeking reinstatement.

Earlier today, McLain said that Kansas Supreme Court Justice Kay McFarland had appointed a retired judge to hear the lawsuit. She took that action at the request of Johnson County District Chief Judge Steve Tatum, who said that all of the district judges had recused themselves from the case.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16520025.htm

It sounds like we're in for two years of petty political squabbles. I'm more concerned about the possibility of his attacking JoCo Planned Parenthood, though.

Given his track record, RSR can't make up his mind whether it's better for Johnson County if the ham-handed Kline ignores his job or actually tries to do it.

http://redstaterabble.blogspot.com/2007/01/far-flung-phill.html

and lets professionals do the job for him. You know, people who are qualified to do their jobs because they have actual litigation experience and haven't relied on their political connections to get them through life. If he starts poking around in the office, he'll just be in the way either out of his own incompetence or because he's wasting valuable resources pursuing his religious agenda while real criminals are ignored.

If he's allowed to pick their replacements, we will be stuck with political hacks. If those attorneys are reinstated, and LL ignores his job, that's probably the best-case scenario.