TOPEKA—Court of Appeals Judge Karen Arnold-Burger has received the annual V. Robert Payant Award for Teaching Excellence for her contributions to judicial education through her role as a faculty member of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
The award was presented to Arnold-Burger by Judge Chad Schmucker, president of the college, in a November 3 ceremony in the atrium of the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka.
"I am extremely honored to receive this award, and I am grateful to the National Judicial College and Judge Schmucker for selecting me to receive it," Arnold-Burger said.
Arnold-Burger said the training she received at the National Judicial College, both at the trial court and appellate court level, far exceeded training she could receive locally or even on the job.
"The National Judicial College provided me a safe place to discuss common issues and concerns with judges from all over the country and around the world," she said. "I was so impressed with the training I received, and the helpfulness of the faculty, that I was thrilled for the opportunity to give something back when I was first asked to teach 16 years ago."
Arnold-Burger first attended courses at the college in 1991, and she started teaching in 2000. She currently serves on the NJC Faculty Council representing special court jurisdiction. Each year that she returns to the Reno-based college, she picks up new ideas and approaches she might not know about otherwise.
"The students and faculty both prove to be great resources for me to improve my own judicial skills, even if my role there is to impart knowledge," she said. "I always receive so much in return, it's hard to differentiate student from teacher."
Arnold-Burger is the 27th recipient of the Payant Award, which has been given annually since 1988 and is presented at the conclusion of the NJC academic year. The award is named in honor of Judge Payant, who served as the NJC's dean and president from 1990 to 1998 after serving 20 years as a Michigan trial judge.
"Judge Arnold-Burger has helped hundreds of judges become better judges," Schmucker said. "The National Judicial College is proud to have her on faculty and to have such a deserving recipient of this award."
Chief Justice Lawton Nuss of the Kansas Supreme Court, who participated in the award ceremony by welcoming and introducing Judge Schmucker, said he is delighted Judge Arnold-Burger won the award, but he's not surprised she was selected to receive it.
"I've known Judge Arnold-Burger since law school, and I've always been impressed by her enthusiasm for her profession, her commitment to setting and achieving high standards, and her dedication to helping others become more effective judges," Nuss said. "She is a great choice for this award and a credit to judges everywhere."
Arnold-Burger has been a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals since January 2011. Before that, she was municipal court judge and then presiding municipal court judge in Overland Park, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Kansas City, Kansas, and First Assistant City Attorney for the City of Overland Park. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, where she previously served on the Board of Governors.
Her professional accomplishments include serving as president of the Johnson County Bar Association, the Kansas Municipal Judges Association, and the Earl E. O'Connor Inn of Court. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the National Judicial College since 2000 and was elected by fellow faculty 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 education programs nationwide.
She's received many awards, including the Justinian Award for Professional Excellence by the Johnson County Bar Association, which is given annually to an attorney who exemplifies integrity, service to the community, and service to the legal profession. Others include the Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association; the Warren W. Shaw Distinguished Service Award from the Topeka Bar Association; the Kay McFarland Award from the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Public Safety Award; and the Community Outreach and Education Award from the Kansas District Judges Association.
She designed a judicial outreach project, "A Wrong of Passage," that is used by judges all over the country and has grown into an organization that focuses community support on the issue of underage drinking. She was awarded the Regional Prevention Center Founder's Award in 2008 and a scholarship was named after her.