TOPEKA—The 30th Judicial District Nominating Commission is seeking nominations to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in Harper County created by the January 15 retirement of Judge James Biles.
The 30th Judicial District is composed of Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, and Sumner counties.
Justice Carol Beier, the Supreme Court departmental justice responsible for the 30th Judicial District, said nominees can apply or be nominated, but any application or nomination requires a completed nomination form that includes the nominee's signature.
A nominee for district magistrate judge must be:
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a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent;
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a resident of Harper County at the time of taking office and while holding office; and
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either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas, or able to pass a certification examination given by the Supreme Court within 18 months.
Nomination forms are available from the clerk of the district court in Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, or Sumner counties; the clerk of the appellate courts at the Kansas Judicial Center; or the Kansas judicial branch website.
One original and 11 copies of the completed nomination form and supporting letters or other relevant documents must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, January 3, 2019, to:
Office of the Clerk of the Appellate Courts
Attn: Shelby Swafford
Kansas Judicial Center
301 SW 10th Ave., Room 107
Topeka KS 66612-1507
The nominating commission will convene to interview nominees at 8 a.m. Friday, January 25, 2019, in the Harper County Courthouse district courtroom, Anthony. Interviews are open to the public. The commission will then appoint a district magistrate judge. After serving one year in office, the new magistrate judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will then serve a four-year term.
The 30th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Beier as the nonvoting chair; Sidney Burkholder, Phillip Unruh, and Elaine Esparza, Harper; Lance Dixon and Gregory Graffman, Kingman; Robert Eisenhauer and Jason Roberts, Pratt; Alan Goering and Richard Swayden, Medicine Lodge; and Melvin Matlock, Belle Plaine.