21-5905. Interference with the judicial process. (a) Interference with the judicial process is:

(1) Communicating with any judicial officer in relation to any matter which is or may be brought before such judge, magistrate, master or juror with intent to improperly influence such officer;

(2) committing any of the following acts, with intent to influence, impede or obstruct the finding, decision, ruling, order, judgment or decree of such judicial officer or prosecutor on any matter then pending before the officer or prosecutor:

(A) Communicating in any manner a threat of violence to any judicial officer or any prosecutor;

(B) harassing a judicial officer or a prosecutor by repeated vituperative communication; or

(C) picketing, parading or demonstrating near such officer's or prosecutor's residence or place of abode;

(3) picketing, parading or demonstrating in or near a building housing a judicial officer or a prosecutor with intent to impede or obstruct the finding, decision, ruling, order, judgment or decree of such judicial officer or prosecutor on any matter then pending before the officer or prosecutor;

(4) knowingly accepting or agreeing to accept anything of value as consideration for a promise:

(A) Not to initiate or aid in the prosecution of a person who has committed a crime; or

(B) to conceal or destroy evidence of a crime;

(5) knowingly or intentionally in any criminal proceeding or investigation:

(A) Inducing a witness or informant to withhold or unreasonably delay in producing any testimony, information, document or thing;

(B) withholding or unreasonably delaying in producing any testimony, information, document or thing after a court orders the production of such testimony, information, document or thing;

(C) altering, damaging, removing or destroying any record, document or thing, with the intent to prevent it from being produced or used as evidence; or

(D) making, presenting or using a false record, document or thing with the intent that the record, document or thing, material to such criminal proceeding or investigation, appear in evidence to mislead a justice, judge, magistrate, master or law enforcement officer;

(6) when performed by a person summoned or sworn as a juror in any case:

(A) Intentionally soliciting, accepting or agreeing to accept from another any benefit as consideration to wrongfully give a verdict for or against any party in any proceeding, civil or criminal;

(B) intentionally promising or agreeing to wrongfully give a verdict for or against any party in any proceeding, civil or criminal; or

(C) knowingly receiving any evidence or information from anyone in relation to any matter or cause for the trial of which such juror has been or will be sworn, without the authority of the court or officer before whom such juror has been summoned, and without immediately disclosing the same to such court or officer; or

(7) knowingly making available by any means personal information about a judge or the judge's immediate family member, if the dissemination of the personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the judge's safety or the safety of such judge's immediate family member, and the person making the information available knows or reasonably should know of the imminent and serious threat.

(b) Interference with the judicial process as defined in:

(1) Subsection (a)(1) is a severity level 9, nonperson felony;

(2) subsection (a)(2) and (a)(3) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor;

(3) subsection (a)(4) is a:

(A) Severity level 8, nonperson felony if the crime is a felony; or

(B) class A nonperson misdemeanor if the crime is a misdemeanor;

(4) subsection (a)(5) is a:

(A) Severity level 8, nonperson felony if the matter or case involves a felony; or

(B) class A nonperson misdemeanor if the matter or case involves a misdemeanor;

(5) subsection (a)(6)(A) is a severity level 7, nonperson felony;

(6) subsection (a)(6)(B) or (a)(6)(C) is a severity level 9, nonperson felony; and

(7) subsection (a)(7) is a:

(A) Class A person misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (b)(7)(B); and

(B) severity level 9, person felony upon a second or subsequent conviction.

(c) Nothing in this section shall limit or prevent the exercise by any court of this state of its power to punish for contempt.

(d) As used in this section:

(1) "Immediate family member" means a judge's spouse, child, parent or any other blood relative who lives in the same residence as such judge.

(2) "Judge" means any duly elected or appointed justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, judge of any district court of Kansas, district magistrate judge or municipal court judge.

(3) "Personal information" means a judge's home address, home telephone number, personal mobile telephone number, pager number, personal e-mail address, personal photograph, immediate family member photograph, photograph of the judge's home, and information about the judge's motor vehicle, any immediate family member's motor vehicle, any immediate family member's place of employment, any immediate family member's child care or day care facility and any immediate family member's public or private school that offers instruction in any or all of the grades kindergarten through 12.

History: L. 2010, ch. 136, § 130; L. 2012, ch. 143, § 2; L. 2014, ch. 102, § 3; July 1.