Court of Appeals swearing-in ceremony scheduled

The Court of Appeals will meet in special session Friday at 2 p.m. to swear-in the newest member of that court, Hon. Karen Arnold-Burger, former presiding judge of the Overland Park Municipal Court.

Judge Arnold-Burger was appointed to the Court of Appeals by former Gov. Mark Parkinson to fill vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Judge Gary W. Rulon. Prior to her appointment, she served as presiding judge of the Overland Park Municipal Court since 1996, and was a member of that court since 1991.

Judge Arnold-Burger will be presented to the Court of Appeals by Judge Janice Miller Karlin, Topeka, a federal bankruptcy judge for the U.S. District Courts of Kansas. The swearing-in ceremony will be in the Supreme Court Courtroom in Topeka, with a reception immediately following in the Judicial Center atrium.

Judge Arnold-Burger served as First Assistant City Attorney for the City of Overland Park before accepting a position as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Kansas City, Ks, prior to her appointment to the city court.

Judge Arnold-Burger has served as President of the Johnson County Bar Association, the Kansas Municipal Judges Association, and the Earl E. O'Connor Inn of the Court. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the NCSCJ, a section within the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association. She has been an adjunct faculty member of the National Judicial College since 2000, and was elected by her fellow faculty members to serve on the Faculty Council beginning in 2010.

She is a graduate of the Institute for Faculty Excellence in Judicial Education at the University of Memphis and is a frequent presenter at judicial programs nationwide. In 2006, she was awarded the Justinian Award for Professional Excellence by the Johnson County Bar Association, an award given annually to an attorney who exemplifies integrity, service to the community, and service to the legal profession.

Judge Arnold-Burger is a 1979 graduate of the University of Kansas and a 1981 graduate of KU's School of Law.