6th Judicial District Nominating Commission to meet June 29

TOPEKA—The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene by telephone conference at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 29, to review applicants for a district magistrate judge vacancy created by Judge Valorie Leblanc’s June 9 resignation.

The 6th Judicial District is composed of Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties.

Public access 

The meeting is open to the public. To listen: 

• call 845-361-8917

• enter guest passcode 3872788#

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 
 
Public interviews   
 
The nominating commission will convene at 10 a.m. Monday, August 7, to interview nominees. Interviews will be in the 3rd floor courtroom at the Bourbon County Courthouse. Interviews are open to the public.
  
The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.   
 
The nominees: 

• Cara Bowen, Colony, legal assistant, Allen County Attorney’s Office

• Rhonda Cole, Fort Scott, clerk of the district court, Bourbon County

• Michael Hoyt, Fort Scott, contract paralegal, Smart Paralegal Services, Inc. 

District magistrate judge appointment process

A nominee for district magistrate judge must be: 

• a resident of Bourbon County at the time of taking office and while holding office; 

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and 

• either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination to become certified within 18 months.   

The nominating commission selects whom to appoint to fill magistrate judge positions.

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 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Evelyn Wilson as the nonvoting chair; Mark McCoy and Zackery Reynolds, Fort Scott; Patton Apple and Ronald Wood, Louisburg; Todd Schneider, Mound City; and Mary Stephenson, Paola.