28th Judicial District Nominating Commission to meet May 7

TOPEKA—The 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, to discuss the nomination process to fill two judicial vacancies.

District Judge Rene Young will retire August 1 from her position in Saline County. District Magistrate Judge Jason Parks will resign June 6 from his position in Ottawa County.

The 28th Judicial District is composed of Ottawa and Saline counties. 
 
Public access

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
[email protected]
785-296-2256
TTY at 711

District judge appointment process

The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview the nominees. Interviews are open to the public. The commission selects three to five people whose names are submitted to the governor to fill the position according to statutory qualification and residency requirements.

The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.

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

• at least 30 years old;

• a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and engaged in the practice of law for at least five years, whether as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school; and

• a resident of the judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office.

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 Ottawa County at the time of taking office and while holding office;

• 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 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; David Stanley, Bennington; Jay Macy, Minneapolis; Lance Cochran, Robert German, Donald Merriman, Russel Prophet, and Christine Ritter, Salina; and Robert Martin, Solomon.