28th Judicial District Nominating Commission seeks nominees for two district judge posts and one district magistrate post

TOPEKA—The 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission is seeking nominations to fill two district judge posts and one district magistrate post. 
 
The district magistrate judge post will be Saline County.

The new judge positions were certified by Administrative Order 2022-JA-020 after the Kansas Legislature passed and the governor signed 2022 House Substitute for Substitute for Senate Bill No. 267 to fund them.

The 28th Judicial District is composed of Saline and Ottawa counties. 

Justice K.J. Wall, the Supreme Court departmental justice responsible for the 28th Judicial District, said individuals can apply or be nominated, but nominations must be made in writing on the 28th Judicial District's official nomination form and include the nominee's signature.  

Eligibility requirements 

Nominees for district magistrate judge must be:

• a resident of Saline County at the time of taking office and while holding office; 

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and 

• either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination to become certified within 18 months. 

 
Nominees for district judge must be:  

• at least 30 years old;  

• a lawyer 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; and  

• a resident of the judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office.

 
Nomination process 

Nominations must be accompanied by a nomination form available from the clerk of the district court in Saline or Ottawa counties, the clerk of the appellate courts at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, or online at www.kscourts.org/judges/Become-a-Judge. 

Nominations may be submitted electronically or by paper copy. The deadline to submit a nomination with supporting documents is noon Friday, July 8.
 
Electronic submissions can be sent to jdnc.nominationform@kscourts.org.
 
Paper submissions require one original and eight copies to be sent to:
 
Justice K.J. Wall
Kansas Judicial Center
301 SW 10th Ave.
Topeka KS 66612
 
The commission will meet by phone at 1:15 p.m. Monday, July 11, to review nominations.

Public interviews
 
The nominating commission will convene to interview nominees at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 3, at the Saline County Courthouse, 300 W Ash, Room 107. Interviews are open to the public.
 
Accommodation 

Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible: 
 
ADA Coordinator 
ADA@kscourts.org
785-296-2256 
TTY at 711 

District judge nominees to the governor  
 
The nominating commission will interview nominees for the district judge positions and then select from three to five people for each vacancy whose names will be submitted to the governor to fill the positions according to statutory qualification and residency requirements. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.
 
Term of office 

After serving one year in office, a new judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term. 

Nominating commission 

The 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; David Stanley of Bennington; Jay Macy of Minneapolis; Lance Cochran, Robert German, Peter Johnston, Donald Merriman, and Christine Ritter of Salina; and Robert Martin of Solomon.