TOPEKA—District Magistrate Judge Douglas Bigge of Rooks County received the Lee Nusser Award for Outstanding Magistrate Judge of 2018.
The award was presented June 8 in Overland Park at the annual meeting of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association.
"I am honored and humbled to receive this award." Bigge said. "I know that all of our magistrate judges work hard for the residents of the state of Kansas, and to be the one to be honored with this award is very humbling."
Bigge, who serves in the 23rd Judicial District, also was re-elected president of KDMJA.
Bigge founded the Rooks County Courthouse Coat Exchange program 17 years ago and established Seatbelt Awareness Days for preschoolers through sixth-graders in Rooks County schools. He is a past leader for the Eager Beaver 4-H Club and has coached youth sports in Stockton and Plainville. He and his wife, Kori, have a daughter Kourtney.
District Magistrate Judge Blaine Carter from Wabaunsee County of the 2nd Judicial District presented the award. Carter said Bigge met all the criteria of the award, which is given to a judge who has exhibited support of the Kansas judiciary and the dignity and integrity of the magistrate judges association.
However, Bigge exceeded those qualities when he took over legislative liaison duties for KDMJA, Carter said. At the start of the legislative session in January, the organization's longtime legislative liaison, Judge Taylor Wine, left his district magistrate judge position when he was appointed a district judge for the 4th Judicial District.
"Judge Bigge took over the reins, with the help of other committee members. He did a fantastic job, both as legislative liaison and president," Carter said. "It was a lot of work and dedication from him to get that job done."
Several times, Bigge made the nearly 500-mile roundtrip from his home in Stockton to Topeka to meet with legislators, Carter said.
"He is most definitely deserving of this award," Carter said.
Bigge was elected magistrate judge in 1996 to serve Rooks County of the 23rd Judicial District. He graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in history and has attended the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He received his certificate of qualification from the Kansas Supreme Court on July 10, 1997.
The award is named for Judge Lee Nusser, who served as a district magistrate judge in Stafford County from 1976 to 1999. He died in 2003.