12th Judicial District Nominating Commission to meet May 27

TOPEKA—The 12th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene by conference call at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, to discuss the nomination process to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in Lincoln County.

The vacancy was created when Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Judge Jennifer O’Hare to fill a district judge position in Cloud County.

The 12th Judicial District is composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties.

Public access

• Call 1-845-361-8917

• Enter Conference Code 3872788

• Press #

Accommodation

Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible:

ADA Coordinator
ADA@kscourts.gov
785-296-2256
TTY at 711

District magistrate judge appointment process

The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview nominees. Interviews are open to the public. The commission selects who is appointed to fill the district magistrate judge vacancy.

To be considered for district magistrate judge, a nominee must be:

• a resident of Lincoln County at the time of nomination, election, or appointment, when taking the oath of office, and while holding office (see K.S.A. 20-331, K.S.A. 20-334[b], and 20-338[b][8]);

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and

• either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination given by the Supreme Court to become certified within 18 months.

Term of office

After serving one year in office, a new judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term.

Nominating commission

The 12th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; Carol Good, Barnard; Justin Ferrell, Belleville; Dwight Daniels and James Johnson, Beloit; Bryan Cleveland, Concordia; Tanner Johnson, Courtland; David Savage, Greenleaf; Starla Nelson, Jamestown; Bradley Steen, Lincoln; Darrell Miller and Keith Roe, Mankato; and Elizabeth Hiltgen, Palmer.