The Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct has announced it is dismissing the complaint against a Marion County judge who authorized a search warrant for a raid on the Marion newspaper and the homes of the newspaper’s owner and the city’s vice mayor.
The Commission said issues involved in the complaint against Marion County Magistrate Judge Laura Viar involved the judge’s discretion and the facts were “not sufficient to conclude the issuance of the warrant crossed the line of incompetence.” A letter signed by Commission Vice Chair Brad Ambrosier said there was no reasonable cause to support a violation of the judicial code, but the letter said the decision doesn’t mean the Commission is in agreement with Viar’s action.
Judge Viar authorized a warrant that led Marion police to search the offices of the Marion County Record newspaper last August. The Marion County Attorney’s Office later withdrew the search warrants, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been looking into the raids.
The raids sparked protests from press freedom groups and Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody later resigned. The Marion city administrator also resigned.
