Monnat & Spurrier, Chartered

11/10/2026

We have two BIG announcements this week!

11/03/2026

Dan Monnat and Gina Wehby are at it again.

Monnat & Spurrier is pleased to announce that our dynamic writing duo has been published in the November issue of the Journal of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association with their article:

Chatrie v. United States: SCOTUS Continues to Restrain Government Access to the Virtual Panopticon in Criminal Investigations

Many people have never heard of a geofence warrant; many have no clue what a “virtual panopticon” is; yet anyone who uses a cellphone, smartwatch, email account, cloud storage, social media platform, or online search engine contributes data to it. And you may be surprised by the number of ways that law enforcement can seek to obtain, access, and rummage through that data.

In this article, Dan and Gina examine one of the most closely watched Supreme Court decisions of 2026 and the important questions it raises:

• What is a “virtual panopticon”?
• Why does law enforcement seek access to it?
• What does Chatrie mean for geofence warrants and other forms of digital data warrants?
• Did Chatrie bury the Fourth Amendment’s third-party doctrine?

Their article also surveys other facets of the virtual panopticon and how Chatrie might guide future court decisions, law enforcement practices, and criminal defenses, including:

• Investigative Genetic Genealogy (Ancestry and 23andMe)
• Keyword warrants for online and AI searches
• Flock cameras and automated license plate readers
• Cellebrite and GrayKey full-device extractions of phones and computers

Check out the comments for a link to their full article.

📍Ernest Trova's GOX #4, Heritage Square Park
📷 Kacy Meinecke Photography

11/02/2026

✨This Friday!✨

Dan Monnat's worlds collide when The House Band plays for the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers at the Monarch💥

All are welcome: lawyers and non-lawyers alike!

10/22/2026

Monnat & Spurrier joins in mourning the precious lives lost or irrevocably altered by the horrific incident at the Stryker Sports Complex.

In the pain and confusion, it is easy to speculate and form rash judgments, but each and every one of us is entitled to the presumption of innocence and proof beyond a reasonable doubt. KWCH 12 News turned to Dan Monnat to help break down the investigative process that helps protect that right.

It is not enough if the driver is seen exiting the vehicle in an accident resulting in injuries and death. A criminal offense requires both a criminal act and the requisite state of mind. There must be “probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the detained person committed it.”

Police and prosecutors are wisely leaving no stone unturned in this investigation. There is a lot of evidence to collect and sift through from an open venue the size of the Stryker Sports Complex possibly including: even more interviews, facility security videos, cellphone videos, the truck’s black box and mechanics, the prescriptions and medical history of the driver, the driver’s toxicology results, or a download of the driver’s cellphone.

Legally and ethically, “a district attorney cannot file charges against anybody unless he has probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed. He has to also have admissible evidence that he believes can sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt in court.”

In answering why the driver was released from custody, Monnat reminds us, “If they don’t have enough probable cause to charge her, they really don’t have enough to keep her in jail.”

The events at the Stryker Sports Complex are undoubtedly heartbreaking, but they may not be a crime. “[A]ctual, random accidents without human fault do occur. Not every tragedy deserves a prosecution.”

Check out the comments for the full KWCH story.

08/20/2026

Monnat & Spurrier, Chartered, is proud to have all 5 attorneys listed in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™ in America.

📷 Gavin Peters

08/20/2026

06/04/2026

🎬Dan Monnat on camera, doing one of the many things he does best. Thanks, KSN!

04/15/2026

The Kansas HALO Act is now law. But does that make it less vague? Less vulnerable to constitutional challenges? No.

In this KWCH 12 News12 News interview, criminal defense attorney Dan Monnat explains why vagueness in a criminal statute remains dangerous:

“Vague statutes and laws can be arbitrarily enforced, selectively enforced, discriminatorily enforced—all in violation of the First Amendment.”

For a deeper look at why Monnat says the Kansas Halo Act is unconstitutional, revisit our earlier post: https://shorturl.at/1Bcpd

Check out the comments for the full KWCH story!

04/03/2026

From her early days building the Grace Wu Kungfu School to receiving a certificate of recognition from Mayor Lily Wu 40 years later, Office Manager Grace Wu‑Monnat continues to inspire. The April 2026 issue of The Active Age celebrates Grace's legacy of teaching, leadership, and mentorship that has shaped generations across Wichita.

03/18/2026

“This statute ticks off about every box on the ‘this is unconstitutional list.’”

✅It’s overbroad.
✅It allows for content discrimination.
✅It has a chilling effect on free speech.
✅It’s a prior restraint on the constitutional right to gather news.

And it has no carveouts for the media—even though newsgathering is a core component of the First Amendment.

Criminal defense attorney Dan Monnat reminds Kansans, “We already have laws and ordinances that tell people they can’t interfere with first responders and law enforcement.”

Several states even have similar 25-foot buffer zones or HALO laws, but Kansas is taking it much further.

• Other states: require an order or other clear direction
• SB 452: requires an amorphous “visible or audible signal”

• Other states: require interference, harassment, or threats
• SB 452: merely requires first responders to reasonably believe that they are “being distracted” or “have an increased level of concern” of physical harm or damage to property.

And like the proposed expansion of Florida’s HALO law, SB 452 includes local, state, and federal law enforcement officers.

Dan Monnat warns that the chilling effect of creating the crime of “unlawful approach of a first responder” with these vague conditions is that Kansans—including the press—“don’t want to risk writing; they don’t want to risk speech; they don’t want to risk protest—because they don’t know whether they’ll be thrown in jail or not.”

Click for the full KWCH story!
Check out the comments for the full text of SB 452!

Opponents say the bill is too vague and tramples constitutional rights, making it a crime to 'distract' first responders.