Opinion ID: 2520489
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Hard 50 Constitutionality

Text: Robertson's final issue is the constitutionality of the hard 50 sentencing scheme. He urges us to revisit our decision in State v. Conley, 270 Kan. 18, 11 P.3d 1147 (2000), cert. denied 532 U.S. 932 (2001), in light of the United States Supreme Court's decisions in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 494, 147 L. Ed. 2d 435, 120 S. Ct. 2348 (2000), and Jones v. United States, 526 U.S. 227, 243, 143 L. Ed. 2d 311, 119 S. Ct. 1215 (1999). This court has considered the cited Supreme Court decisions and nevertheless upheld the hard 50 sentence and Conley as constitutional. See, e.g., State v. Wilkerson, 278 Kan. 147, 160, 91 P.3d 1181 (2004); Hebert, 277 Kan. at 108; State v. Boldridge, 274 Kan. 795, 812, 57 P.3d 8 (2002), cert. denied 538 U.S. 950 (2003). We decline to do otherwise now. Affirmed. GERNON, J., not participating.