TOPEKA—The 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene Monday, July 21, to interview nominees to fill vacancies for district judge and district magistrate judge.
District Judge Rene Young will retire August 1 from her position in Saline County. District Magistrate Judge Jason Parks resigned June 6 from his position in Ottawa County.
The 28th Judicial District is composed of Ottawa and Saline counties.
Nominees
Interviewing for the district judge position in Saline County are:
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Richard Buck, Salina, lead assistant public defender, Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services
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Allie Burris, Salina, attorney
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Michelle Martin, Solomon, attorney, community relations supervisor, Community and Development Services Department, city of Salina
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W. Brad Sutton, Assaria, prosecutor, city of Salina
Interviewing for the district magistrate judge position in Ottawa County are:
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Jennifer Oliver, Salina, managing court reporter, 28th Judicial District
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Tim Paige, Delphos, Kansas Highway Patrol, retired
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Kerry Weber, Delphos, trial court clerk, 28th judicial district
Public Interviews
The nominating commission will convene at 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 21, to interview nominees. The interviews are open to the public and will take place at:
Saline County Courthouse
300 W Ash
Salina
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.gov
785-296-2256
TTY at 711
District judge appointment process
The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview the nominees. Interviews are open to the public. The commission selects three to five people whose names are submitted to the governor to fill the position according to statutory qualification and residency requirements.
The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.
To be considered for district judge, a nominee must be:
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at least 30 years old;
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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
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a resident of the judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office.
District magistrate judge appointment process
The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview nominees. Interviews are open to the public. The commission selects who is appointed to fill the district magistrate judge vacancy.
To be considered for district magistrate judge, a nominee must be:
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a resident of Ottawa County at the time of nomination, election, or appointment, when taking the oath of office, and while holding office (see K.S.A. 20-331, K.S.A. 20-334[b], and K.S.A. 20-338[b][8]);
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a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and
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either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination given by the Supreme Court to become certified within 18 months.
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 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; David Stanley, Bennington; Jay Macy, Minneapolis; Lance Cochran, Robert German, Donald Merriman, Russel Prophet, and Christine Ritter, Salina; and Robert Martin, Solomon.