TOPEKA—The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission is seeking candidates to fill a magistrate judge vacancy in the 6th Judicial District, sitting in Bourbon County. Justice Lee Johnson, the Supreme Court departmental justice responsible for the 6th Judicial District, said nominees can apply or be recommended, but recommendations must come on a nomination form and include the nominee’s signature.
“Finding good candidates for district magistrate judge is a public process that involves members of all communities in the district. If a resident knows someone suited for the job, he or she should encourage that person to apply, or volunteer to recommend him or her,” Johnson said.
Kansas law requires that a magistrate judge be a resident of the county at the time of swearing in, be at least 30 years old, be a high school graduate or its equivalent, and, if not admitted to practiced law in Kansas, be certified by the Supreme Court as qualified to serve in the job.
Recommendations must be accompanied by a nomination form available from the clerk’s office in each of the district’s courts: Bourbon County District Court in Fort Scott; Linn County District Court in Mound City; and Miami District Court in Paola. The form is also available from the clerk of the appellate courts at the Judicial Center in Topeka and on the Kansas Judicial Branch website.
Completed nomination forms and supporting letters are to be sent to Hon. Lee A. Johnson, Kansas Supreme Court, 301 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612-1507, no later than noon Monday, July 21.
The nominating commission will convene after the application period closes to interview candidates. A date for that meeting is not yet set, but it will be open to the public. The commission can adjourn to executive session during the meeting to discuss nominee personal traits.
Notice of this vacancy was mailed to every attorney in this judicial district by the chairman of the commission.
The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Lee A. Johnson as the nonvoting chair; and Richard M. Fisher, Jr., Osawatomie; Blake D. Hudson, Fort Scott; Blake Heid, Paola; Ronald P. Wood, Louisburg; and Mark McCoy, Fort Scott.