1st Judicial District Nominating Commission to meet January 11

TOPEKA—The 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene by telephone conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 11, to review applicants for a district judge vacancy created by Chief Judge David King’s January 1 retirement.

The 1st Judicial District is composed of Atchison and Leavenworth counties. 

Public access 

The meeting is open to the public. To listen: 

• call 845-361-8917

• enter guest passcode 3872788#

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: 

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

Public interviews   
 
The nominating commission will convene at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 18, to interview nominees. Interviews will start at 9 a.m. and continue Thursday, January 19. Interviews will be in Courtroom 2 at the Leavenworth Justice Center, 601 S 3rd St. Interviews are open to the public.
  
The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.   
 
The nominees: 

• Pamela Campbell Burton, Leavenworth, attorney, Murray, Tillotson & Burton

• John Fresh, Atchison, partner, Farris, Fresh & Werring Law Office, LLC

• Crystal Henson, Tonganoxie, municipal court city prosecutor, Unified Government of Wyandotte County

• Rhonda Levinson, Kansas City, attorney, Perry & Trent LLC

• Michael Nichols, Kansas City, sole practitioner, Michael J. Nichols, P.A.

• Jordan Pemble, Leavenworth, sole practitioner, the Law Office of J. W. Pemble

• Allen Ternent, Atchison, sole practitioner, Ternent Law Office

• Andrew Werring, Atchison, partner, Farris, Fresh & Werring Law Office, LLC

District judge appointment process

To be considered for district judge, a nominee 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.

The nominating commission selects three to five people whose names are 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.

Term of office 

After serving one year in office, a new 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 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Eric S. Rosen as the nonvoting chair; Robert Bednar, Julia Clem, and Rosemary Nies, Atchison; Michael Jones, Lansing; G. Ronald Bates Jr., Gregory Beck, and Kevin Reardon, Leavenworth; and Lois Meadows, Tonganoxie.