Blake Glover credited his family, colleagues and others who supported him as he was sworn in Friday as the next Douglas County District Court judge.
Glover, who has been the county’s pro tem judge since January 2022, was selected by Gov. Laura Kelly to fill the vacancy from the April 2026 retirement of Judge Sally Pokorny.
Pokorny, alongside judges from the county, Kansas Supreme Court and state Court of Appeals, were present to recognize Glover.
Glover thanked them for coming, saying Douglas County has the best group of judges in the state.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
“I’m not naive enough to think that I’m in this position solely because of my work,” he said. “It is shared by a lot of people in this room.”
Please support
The Lawrence Times!
Subscribe here.
He said he had big shoes to fill taking over for Pokorny. Glover will be only the fourth judge to hold the position of judge for the second division.
“I’ll work my tail off to do you proud,” he said.
He thanked his brother for offering guidance and friendship, his son for keeping him grounded and his wife for never doubting him through career transitions and risks.
“You’re my rock, and I can’t thank you enough,” he said.
Glover is from Douglas County and went to Quail Run Elementary before attending middle and high school in Baldwin and going to college at Baker University.
After graduating from law school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he worked as a prosecutor and owned his own law practice in Baldwin City.
District Judges Amy Hanley and Stacey Donovan praised Glover’s legal experience, hard work and fairness.
In honor of Glover’s appreciation for humor, the judges paired some of their formal remarks with a less-formal translation.
Hanley would give the formal statement: “Judge Glover presents as a very confident, dapper dresser.”
Donovan would provide the translation: “He will put three different patterns together in one outfit in one day.”
Donovan shared about Glover’s devotion to KU’s basketball team, but the pair of judges, who are both K-State fans, said he was quieter during football season.
They brought up his past success in tennis, including displaying an old photo of Glover surrounded by medals and trophies.
They ended by describing Glover through the words of his son: “Everyone should have someone like my dad in their lives — someone to look up to, to inspire you, and to always show up for you,” Donovan quoted Glover’s son as saying.
Douglas County District Court Chief Judge Mark Simpson said taking the role of District Court judge meant not only faithfully applying the law, but also having conduct worthy of the trust and confidence of the public.
“Judge Glover is humble and he’s practical,” Simpson said. “And he has empathy for those who come into court. And the result is that he’s a judge who listens carefully, he considers all perspectives, he stays open to argument and he understands that the law does not exist in a vacuum, it’s applied in the lives of real people with real problems and real consequences. And I think that’s part of what makes Judge Glover such a good judge.”
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
Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read his complete bio at this link. Read more of his work for the Times at this link.
Latest Lawrence news:
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
