11th Judicial District Nominating Commission to interview candidates for district judge

PARSONS—Eight attorneys have submitted applications to fill the district judge position in the 11th Judicial District, sitting in the District Court of Labette County.

The position will become vacant on the July 14, 2017, retirement of District Judge Robert J. Fleming, who has held the position since 1996.

The applicants are: 

• Dennis Depew, Neodesha 

• Mark David Dodd, Topeka 

• Michael Gayoso Jr., Baxter Springs 

• Timothy Joseph Grillot, Parsons 

• Fred Johnson, Oswego 

• Stephen Jones, Altamont 

• David Markham, Parsons 

• Cherokee County Magistrate Judge Samuel Marsh, Columbus

The 11th Judicial Nominating Commission will convene Thursday, July 6, 2017, to conduct interviews and select three to five nominees to be submitted to the governor, who will then select one of the nominees to be appointed to the position. Interviews will be open to the public.

An applicant for the district judge position must be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and who has been engaged in the practice of law as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school for at least five years. An appointee must establish residency in the judicial district before taking office and maintain such residency while holding office.

The 11th Judicial District Nominating Commission is chaired by Kansas Supreme Court Justice Lee A. Johnson, a nonvoting position. The attorney members—one from each county in the judicial district—are Sara S. Beezley, Pittsburg; District Judge Oliver K. Lynch, Baxter Springs; and Richard G. Tucker, Parsons. The nonattorney members, selected by their respective county commissions, are John W. Lehman, Girard; Charles W. Sweeton, Baxter Springs; and James K. Cook, Parsons.