TOPEKA—A nominating commission charged with naming candidates to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in Dickinson County has issued a request for assistance from the public.
The nine-member commission is responsible for selecting a district magistrate judge to fill the vacancy which will be created upon the retirement of District Magistrate Judge John E. Barker effective April 16.
"The nominating commission is especially interested in receiving recommendations from the general public. All of the citizens of Dickinson County are requested to consider this matter and the names of suggested nominees submitted by the public will be welcomed by the commission," according to Supreme Court Justice Marla J. Luckert, departmental justice for the 8th Judicial District.
Kansas statutes require that a district magistrate judge be a resident of the county in which appointed, be a graduate of a high school or its equivalent, and if not regularly admitted to practice law in Kansas, be certified by the Supreme Court as qualified to serve in the job.
Suggested nominees are requested to complete questionnaires for the position. The completed forms should be returned to Victor A. davis, Jr., Weary, Davis LC, 819 N. Washington, P.O. Box 187, Junction City, KS 66441, no later than noon, April 13, 2012. The forms are available in the office of clerk of the district court of Dickinson County and online under "What's New" at www.kscourts.org.
The nominating commission will convene at 9 a.m., April 20, in the Dickinson County Courthouse, Abilene, to interview the suggested appointees. The meeting will be open to the public; however, the commission has the authority to adjourn to executive session to discuss personal traits of the suggested appointees.
Notices of the vacancy have been mailed to every attorney in the 8th Judicial District by the chair of the commission. Dickinson County is one of the four counties in the 8th Judicial District, which also includes Geary, Marion, and Morris Counties.
The nominating commission includes Justice Luckert, as the nonvoting chair, and Darrel W. Bryant, Council Grove; Victor A. Davis, Jr., Junction City; Douglas G. Thompson, Chapman; Edwin M. Wheeler, Jr., Marion; Kevin R. Fruechting, Marion; Carolyn L. Gaston, Milford; Kevin O. Harris, Abilene; and Darrell L. Miller, Dwight.