TOPEKA—The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission is seeking candidates to fill a district judge vacancy created by the June 19 retirement of Judge Rebecca Crotty.
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 member 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 June 12, 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. Monday, June 19, 2017, in the Shawnee County Courthouse in Topeka to interview candidates. Interviews are open to the public. When the interviews conclude, the commission will select three to five candidates whose names will be submitted to the governor and he will decide whom to appoint.
The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Marla J. Luckert as the nonvoting chair; Terry E. Beck, Daniel W. Crow, Thomas G. Lemon, Jolene C. Miller, and W. Eric Stafford of Topeka, and Toby L. McCullough of Rossville.