Allen County District Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Saxton Jr. to retire July 3

TOPEKA—District Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Saxton Jr. will retire July 3 after 27 years on the bench in the 31st judicial district, composed of Allen, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson counties.

"It has been my pleasure to be a member of the Kansas judiciary these last 27 years, and I hope I have served the people of Kansas well," Saxton said. "I have been truly blessed to have the greatest court clerks, the best attorneys, great fellow judges, wonderful law enforcement officers, and loads of great friends throughout the 31st judicial district."

Saxton was appointed district magistrate judge in Allen County in 1989 and has served as municipal judge in Iola since 1991. He is a past president of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association and was a recipient of its Outstanding Magistrate Judge Award. He is a longtime member of the Supreme Court Task Force on Permanency Planning for Juveniles and of the 31st Judicial District Community Corrections/Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board. He also is a member of the 31st Judicial District CASA.

When reflecting on his years on the bench, Saxton said highlights included presiding over hundreds of adoptions, missing only one day of work due to illness, and sharing the stage at a state judges' conference with former-Governor Bill Graves, former-Chief Justice Kay McFarland and former Allen County District Judge John W. White, who was president of the Kansas District Judges Association at the time.

In retirement, Saxton said he plans to learn to sleep past 5 a.m., to fix 27 years' worth of neglected things, and spend more time at the Lake of the Ozarks. He does not plan to put on another tie.