3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission announces interview schedule for district judge vacancy

TOPEKA—The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene at 9 a.m. Friday, December 17, to interview nominees to fill a district judge vacancy created by Chief Judge Richard Anderson’s December 11 retirement.

The 3rd Judicial District is Shawnee County.

Public interviews

Interviews are open to the public. They will take place in the Shawnee County Courthouse, 200 E. 7th St., Topeka.

Interview schedule

9:30 a.m.

Jay Befort, Topeka, general counsel, Kansas Department of Revenue

9:45 a.m.

Kevin Cook, Topeka, private practice

10 a.m.

Jessica Domme, Tecumseh, assistant attorney general

10:15 a.m.

Jessica Heinen, Topeka, deputy district attorney

10:45 a.m.

Todd Thornburg, Topeka, special assistant attorney general, Kansas Department of Labor

11 a.m.

Maban Wright, Topeka, deputy public defender

The commission will consider nonresident nomination forms at the beginning of the meeting. If accepted, the interviews will be as follows:

11:15 a.m.

Tonda Hill, Lawrence, assistant district attorney

11:30 a.m.

Johnathon Noble, Lawrence, public defender

ADA accommodation

Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible, preferably 10 working days before the meeting date:

ADA Coordinator
ADA@kscourts.org
785-296-2256
TTY at 711

Eligibility requirements

Nominees for district judge must be:

• at least 30 years old;

• a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and 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; and

• a resident of the judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office.

Nominees to governor

The nominating commission interviews nominees and then selects from three to five people whose names will be submitted to the governor to fill the position according to statutory qualification and residency requirements. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.

If there are not three nominees who reside in the judicial district who are deemed qualified by the commission, the commission may consider nominees who reside outside the district.

Terms of office

After serving one year in office, the new district judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term.

Nominating commission

The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Caleb Stegall as the nonvoting chair; Toby McCullough, Rossville; and Daniel Crow, Thomas Lemon, Randall Phillips, Rebecca Sanders, and Eric Stafford, Topeka.