District court closures that were scheduled for April 27 and May 11 have been rescheduled to give time for the Kansas Legislature to consider appropriating extra funds for the courts to finish the fiscal year. The Kansas Supreme Court announced the rescheduling April 23.

With the postponement, courts are now scheduled to be closed May 24 and 25 and June 7 and 8. Because May 24 and 25 precede the Memorial Day weekend, there will be a stretch of five consecutive days courts will be closed.

Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss said in the announcement that the change was made because the House Appropriations Committee gave assurances that it would fund the courts.

“Waiting until May 24 should give the legislature more than enough time to make good on the House committee’s stated intentions,” Nuss said.

Rescheduling the furloughs does have some associated problems, Nuss said. Witnesses, litigants, attorneys, judges, court personnel, and Kansans called for jury duty may have to change their schedules. Also, reopening the originally scheduled court closures may not allow previously canceled hearings to be held then.

Postponement also risks employees losing two work days in a single pay period if funding doesn’t come through.