Post updated at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday:
A nominating commission will meet by phone Thursday morning to discuss the process to fill two openings on the Douglas County District Court bench.
One spot is the one from which Judge Kay Huff will retire, effective Friday. The other is a new division that the Legislature has decided to fund.
The public may listen to the phone meeting — which starts at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 7 — by dialing 1-866-705-2554 and entering the passcode 895421#, according to a news release Wednesday.
Anyone who needs accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should reach out to the judicial branch’s ADA coordinator at ADA@kscourts.org, 785-296-2256, or TTY at 711.
The commission will seek nominations, then meet to interview nominees. Interviews will also be open to the public. The commission narrows candidates to three to five people and submits their names to the governor for consideration; then the governor has 60 days to decide whom to appoint.
Judge nominees must be at least 30 years old, residents of the judicial district at the time they take and hold office, and lawyers 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.
Justice Eric Rosen is the nonvoting chair of the Seventh Judicial District Nominating Commission. It also includes Elina Alterman, Elizabeth Cateforis, Stephanie Davis, Lisa Harris-Frydman, Wesley Smith, and Daniel Watkins, of Lawrence, according to the news release.
Reception to honor Judge Huff
From 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the county will hold a retirement reception in Huff’s honor.
Huff was appointed in December 2010, and she presides over felony criminal cases and major civil cases.
She has also presided over Drug Court — an alternative court program that aims to help adults charged with nonviolent felony offenses and who are having trouble staying substance-free — since it launched in January 2020.
The reception will be held in the County Commission meeting room in the historic county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.
“I have found the work meaningful and challenging,” Huff said in a May 18 news release announcing her retirement plans.
“I will miss the camaraderie of colleagues. I thank the staff for their dedication and grit over the years, but particularly during the pandemic.”
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