TOPEKA—District Judge Steven Montgomery will retire July 5 after serving 17 years in the 6th Judicial District.
The 6th Judicial District is composed of Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties.
Montgomery graduated from the Washburn University School of Law. Before becoming a judge, he served as a staff attorney for the Kansas Department of Revenue and was in private practice. He was appointed judge in 2006.
Montgomery said that during his 26 years as an attorney, he had little desire to become a judge. That changed after arguing in a series of complex litigation.
“I became convinced I could raise the legal bar for the bench and bar by serving as a judge,” Montgomery said. “The drive to perform at a high level as a trial judge has been a constant incentive for me.”
While in private practice, Montgomery occasionally handled adoption cases. As a judge, he was assigned all adoption cases in Miami County. As an adoptive father of three, he said adoption cases hold a special place in his heart.
“I will greatly miss adoption cases when I leave the bench,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery said he likes to make final adoption hearings special for all involved. This includes gifting young children stuffed animals and inviting older kids behind the bench where he robes them and poses for photos.
“There are tears of joy all around,” Montgomery said.
During his time as a judge, Montgomery was also a professor, administrator, and evaluator for the Leavitt Institute of International Development, where he worked in legal education and promoted the rule of law and due process in Eastern Europe.
In retirement, Montgomery will associate with Moriarty Mediation in Overland Park. He will also give more time to his interests in the legal systems of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Poland. He plans to spend more time outdoors, and “travel more, golf more, and smile more.”
District judges in the 6th Judicial District are appointed through a merit selection process. State statute requires a nominating commission to accept nominations, interview nominees, and forward names of finalists to the governor, who appoints a replacement. After serving one year in office, the 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.