TOPEKA — Chief Justice Lawton Nuss will present Jay Scott Emler with an award in recognition of his role as a founder and leader of the Municipal Judges Education Committee at the Municipal Court Judges Conference in Topeka April 28.
Nuss will present the award on behalf of the entire Supreme Court.
Legislation enacted in 1989 required the Supreme Court to provide a training and examination program to ensure municipal court judges who are not admitted to practice law possess the skills and knowledge needed to carry out their duties.
“Jay was instrumental in passing that legislation because he believed a certification program and a mandatory continuing judicial education requirement were necessary for municipal court judges,” said Nuss. “He also helped draft the original certification examination and he’s conducted ongoing reviews to ensure it has been kept up to date.”
After the legislation was passed, the Supreme Court established a Municipal Court Judges Testing and Education Committee on June 8, 1989, and Emler was one of three members appointed to serve on it. He continued to serve until he was appointed commissioner of the Kansas Corporation Commission in 2014.
“I am honored to be recognized by the Supreme Court, especially before this group of municipal judges,” said Emler. “However, I did not commit to this cause for the recognition it might get me. Rather, it was to prepare municipal judges to justly resolve the issues that come before them.”
During the years Emler was a member of the Municipal Court Judges Testing and Education Committee, he devoted many hours to helping with new judge certification, planning educational programs, and teaching. He mentored many municipal judges and has always been willing to provide his advice and guidance.
At the time the 1989 legislation was passed, Emler was a municipal judge in Lindsborg and an active member of the Kansas Municipal Judges Association. He served as the group’s president, and either served on or chaired several committees. He currently is an ex officio member.
Emler graduated from the University of Denver College of Law. He had a private law practice from 1977 to 1990, and he worked as corporate counsel in the private sector throughout the 1990s. He has been a member of the Kansas Bar Association since 1977 and was a member of the McPherson County Bar from 1977 to 2011.
Emler was elected to the Kansas Senate and sworn into office in 2001. His service in the Senate continued until he was appointed commissioner of the Kansas Corporation Commission in January 2014.