Gary West, former deputy public defender, was sworn in as the new judge pro tem in Douglas County District Court Monday morning.
Chief Judge Mark Simpson said he prepared for the swearing-in by reviewing the rules of judicial conduct.
“Those rules of judicial conduct say that a judge shall uphold and apply the law, shall perform all duties of judicial office fairly and impartially,” Simpson said. “A judge shall be patient, dignified and courteous to all whom the judge deals with. And so, when I think about those attributes of a good judge, what I realize is those also describe Gary West very well.”
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Simpson also said that West has a sincere empathy for others.
Please support
The Lawrence Times!
Subscribe here.
“This is crazy,” West said.
He thanked numerous people for their support that allowed him to practice law in his home community, including his wife, Juanita West.
“She always believed in me, even when I was bringing home burritos and pastries … (for) legal fees,” he said.
He made his own promise after officially taking his oath and donning his robe.
“I’ll do my best to work hard, to listen,” West said. “And I think one of the reasons why we have such a great community here in Lawrence, Kansas, Douglas County, is because of this court.”
West holds more than 30 years of legal experience, including as a prosecutor, attorney in private practice, Senior Counsel for Legal Projects for the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, and Deputy Disciplinary Administrator, according to the release. He previously worked in the Douglas County Public Defender’s Office.
West filled the position previously held by Blake Glover, who was appointed as a district judge in August.
As judge pro tem, Glover presided over some misdemeanors, small claims cases, traffic infractions, probation violations, some first appearances in criminal cases, and protection from abuse and stalking petitions, according to the court’s website.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
Latest Lawrence news:
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
