Opinion ID: 2598865
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: Violation of Apprendi in the hard 50 sentence.

Text: The defendant argues this court should overrule State v. Conley, 270 Kan. 18, 11 P.3d 1147 (2000), cert. denied 532 U.S. 932 (2001), because under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 147 L. Ed. 2d 435, 120 S. Ct. 2348 (2000), the judge imposed a hard 50 sentence and violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The defendant criticizes Conley's reliance on McMillan v. Pennsylvania, 477 U.S. 79, 91 L. Ed. 2d 67, 106 S. Ct. 2411 (1986). Conley was based upon Apprendi and McMillan ; however, the defendant fails to cite any authority postdating those cases that would convince this court to change its course. See State v. Boldridge, 274 Kan. 795, Syl. ¶ 11, 57 P.3d 8 (2002). We reject the defendant's argument; Conley controls. Finally, the defendant assigns six additional errors, most of which have been raised by appellate defense counsel.