10th Judicial District Nominating Commission to interview nominees for new district judge positions

TOPEKA—The 10th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene August 29, 30, and 31 to interview nominees to fill three new district judge positions. 
 
The new judge posts were certified by Administrative Order 2022-JA-020 after the Kansas Legislature passed and the governor signed 2022 House Substitute for Substitute for Senate Bill No. 267 to fund them. 
 
The 10th Judicial District is Johnson County. 
 
Public interviews 
 
Interviews are open to the public. They will take place at: 
  
Johnson County Courthouse 
150 W Santa Fe St. 
Olathe, KS 66061-3273 
  
The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.   
 
The nominees: 

• Trevin Way, Lenexa, shareholder, Simpson, Logback, Lynch, Norris 
   

• Jenifer Ashford, Prairie Village, district magistrate judge, 10th Judicial District 
   

• Amy Coppola Crawford, Milford, district magistrate judge, 8th Judicial District, Geary County 
   

• Phillip Ashley, Overland Park, special counsel, Bates Carey, LLP 
   

• Catherine Diane Singer, Overland Park, shareholder, GM Law PC 
   

• Stephanie Goodenow, Lenexa, Goodenow Law 
   

• Jason Billam, Olathe, Billam & Henderson LLC 
   

• Kevin O’Connor, Overland Park, district judge, 18th Judicial District  
   

• William Meyer, Overland Park, senior attorney, South Law, P.C. 
   

• Joann Woltman, Overland Park, case smart counsel, Littler Mendelson 
   

• Ashlyn Yarnell, Shawnee, senior associate attorney, Ronald W. Nelson, PA 
   

• Tel Parrett, Shawnee, Law Offices of Tel Parrett 
   

• Cynthia Cornwell, Overland Park, municipal judge, City of Overland Park 
   

• Curtis Tideman, Leawood, Lathrop GPM, LLC 
   

• John McEntee Jr., Leawood, senior trial attorney, Nationwide Insurance 
   

• Katherine Sinatra, Mission Hills, general counsel, eMoney USA Holdings, LLC 
   

• Catherine Triplett, Desoto, Triplett Law Firm, LLC 
   

• Jerry “Wally” Wallentine, Olathe, Martin and Wallentine 
   

• Kevin Breer, Westwood, Breer Law Firm, LLC 
   

• Brian Jenkins, Shawnee, Jenkins Law, LLC 
   

• Tonda Jones Hill, Lawrence, district attorney, Wyandotte County  
   

• Jadh Kerr, Lenexa, partner, Speer and Holiday, LLP 
   

• Michael McCulloch, Olathe, chief public defender, 10th Judicial District Public Defender Office 
   

• Curtis Sample, Olathe, The Law Office of Curtis M. Sample, LLC 
   

• Gary Willnauer, Stillwell, partner, Morrow Willnauer Church, LLC 
   

• Stefanie Benson-Hebberd, Overland Park, attorney, Jerold A. Bressel, Chartered 
   

• Michelle Carter-Gouge, Shawnee, senior counsel, CVS Health Corp. 
   

• Christopher Kopecky, Leawood, Kopecky Law, P.A. 
   

• Elizabeth Mellor, Overland Park, Law Office of Elizabeth Meller 
   

• Benjamin Long, Olathe, member attorney, Schlagel Long Rivera, LLC 

 
Accommodation 
 
Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible: 
  
ADA Coordinator 
ADA@kscourts.org 
785-296-2256 
TTY at 711 
  
Eligibility requirements 
  
A nominee for district judge must be: 
 

• at least 30 years old; 
   

• a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and engaged in the practice of law for at least five years, whether as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school; and 
   

• a resident of the judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office. 

 
The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview nominees. Interviews are open to the public.   
  
Nominees to governor 
  
The nominating commission will select three to five people whose names will be submitted to the governor to fill these positions according to statutory qualification and residency requirements. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint. 
  
NOTICE: Nominees who reside outside Johnson County will only be considered for the positions if there is an insufficient number of Johnson County residents who are deemed qualified by the commission and willing to serve as district judge. 
  
Term of office 
  
After serving one year in office, a new judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term. 
  
Nominating commission 
  
The 10th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Evelyn Wilson as the nonvoting chair; Thomas Bath, and Samuel Turner Sr., Leawood; James A.C. Griffith, Stephene Moore, and Annabeth Surbaugh, Lenexa; Laura McConwell, Mission; Doug Brownlee, Hon. Thomas Kelly Ryan, and Stephen Tatum, Olathe; Rick Guinn, Kevin Moriarty, and Greg Musil, Overland Park; and Josie Herrera, Shawnee.