The public will have a chance to hear from those who want to be Douglas County District Court judges during interviews set for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
There will be two spots available on the bench: one from which Judge Kay Huff is retiring, effective Friday, and another that is a new division the Legislature has decided to fund.
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.
Those who meet the criteria and are interested in applying should follow the instructions on this form. The deadline to submit a nomination is noon Friday, July 29.
The Seventh Judicial District nominating commission will be tasked with selecting three to five applicants to submit to the governor; the governor then will have 60 days after receiving the names to select two people to appoint. After serving one year in office, new judges must stand for retention votes in the next general election. If they are retained, they will serve four-year terms before facing another retention vote.
The nominating commission will convene starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, and interviews will be open to the public starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St. They will continue on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Anyone who needs accommodation should reach out to the judicial branch’s ADA coordinator at ADA@kscourts.org, 785-296-2256, or TTY at 711.
The Office of Judicial Administration typically announces the names of nominees to be interviewed and a schedule closer to the interview dates.
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, all of Lawrence.
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