Amy J. Hanley

The Honorable Amy J. Hanley is a distinguished trial judge and teacher with more than twenty-two years of experience in the criminal justice field. Judge Hanley joined the state district court bench in Douglas County, Lawrence, Kansas, following 15 years of high-profile jury trials. Her courtroom highlights include State v. Seacat, a premeditated first-degree murder conviction that was nationally televised and featured on Dateline NBC, and State v. Kahler, a capital murder case that was litigated all the way to the United States Supreme Court where the conviction was affirmed. During her years as a prosecutor, Judge Hanley served on the National District Attorneys Association Board. Judge Hanley teaches and leads programs on trial advocacy, negotiation, evidence, and courtroom procedure across the country, and internationally in Argentina, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Republic of Palau.