TOPEKA—The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission is seeking candidates to fill a district judge vacancy created by the upcoming Sept. 30 retirement of Judge Frank Yeoman Jr.
The 3rd Judicial District is a one-county district composed of Shawnee County.
Justice Marla J. Luckert, the Supreme Court departmental justice responsible for the 3rd Judicial District, said candidates can apply or be recommended, but recommendations must come on a nomination form and include the candidate's signature.
"Selecting judges is an open process to find the most qualified candidates in the district, so if a community members knows someone ideally suited for the job, he or she should encourage that person to apply, or volunteer to recommend him or her," Luckert said.
Candidates for district judge must be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and have been 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. The candidate also must be a resident of Shawnee County at the time of taking office and maintain that residency while holding office.
Recommendations must be accompanied by a nomination form available from the clerk's office in Shawnee County District Court, from the clerk of the appellate court at the Judicial Center in Topeka, or on the Kansas judicial branch website.
One original and seven copies of the completed nomination form and supporting letters must be submitted by noon September 15, 2017, to:
Justice Marla J. Luckert
Kansas Judicial Center
301 SW 10th Ave., Room 315
Topeka KS 66612
The nominating commission will convene at 9 a.m. September 25, 2017, to conduct interviews that are open to the public. The commission then will select three to five candidates whose names will be submitted to the governor, who will make the appointment.
The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Marla J. Luckert of the Kansas Supreme Court as the nonvoting chair; Terry E. Beck, Daniel W. Crow, Thomas G. Lemon, Jolene C. Miller, and W. Eric Stafford, all of Topeka; and Toby L. McCullough of Rossville.