Nine candidates have tossed their hats in the ring for a district judge vacancy in Douglas County.
The vacancy was created by Judge Sally Pokorny’s retirement in April.
The Seventh Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, June 1 to discuss the interview schedule to fill the vacancy, according to an announcement from the Kansas Judicial Branch on Friday afternoon.
“The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview nominees,” according to the announcement. “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.”
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Gov. Laura Kelly will have 60 days after receiving the names to select the appointee.
Here are the nine nominees and their current roles, according to Friday’s announcement:
• Meryl Carver-Allmond, Lawrence, general counsel to chief justice, Kansas Supreme Court
• Blake Glover, Baldwin City, judge pro tem, Douglas County District Court
• Tonda Hill, Lawrence, deputy county attorney, Mohave County Attorney’s Office, Kingman, Arizona
• Paul Klepper, Lawrence, judge pro tem, Douglas County District Court
• Brandelyn Nichols, Lawrence, chief hearing officer, Kansas Department of Revenue
• Jonathon Noble, Lawrence, chief public defender, Northeast Kansas Conflicts Public Defender Office
• Shon Qualseth, Lawrence, chief counsel, Kansas Department of Health & Environment
• Bethany Roberts, Lawrence, attorney, Barber Emerson, L.C.
• Krystal Vokins, Lawrence, assistant training director, Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services
The meeting is open to the public. It will be held at Stevens & Brand in the U.S. Bank building, 900 Massachusetts St., Suite 500.
Anyone who has a disability and needs accommodations to access the meeting should contact the judicial branch ADA coordinator as soon as possible. They can be reached at [email protected], by phone at 785-296-2256, or by TTY at 711.
The Seventh Judicial District Nominating Commission includes lawyers Elizabeth Cateforis, Wesley Smith, Daniel Watkins, Shaye Downing and Charles Branson, as well as non-lawyers Elina Alterman, Stephanie Davis, C. Grace MacMillan, Patricia Kuester and Katy Fitzgerald. The nonvoting chair is Kansas Supreme Court Justice Eric Rosen.
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Logan Pierson / Lawrence Times
