Ten vying for Second District Court Judge position

Ten Jackson County-area attor­neys have thrown their hats into the ring for the Jackson County District Court Judge position that became vacant at the recent death of Judge Micheal Ireland, according to the Kansas Office of Judicial Admini­stration.

Those 10 candidates for the judgeship — including Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller and Jackson County Counselor Alex Morrissey — will be inter­viewed by the Kansas Second Judi­cial District Nominating Commis­sion starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, it was reported. The district com­prises Jackson, Jefferson, Pot­tawatomie and Wabaunsee coun­ties.

Following the interview sessions, which will be held at the Jackson County Courthouse and are open to the public, the nominating commis­sion will recommend two or three candidates to Gov. Sam Brownback for consideration, it was reported. The governor will then approve one of the candidates as a judge to fill the vacancy.

Once the judgeship left vacant by Ireland’s death on Aug. 29 has been filled, the nominating com­mission will then look at candidates for the Second District magistrate judge position previously held by Steven Roth, who was recently ap­pointed ad­ministrative law judge for the Kan­sas Department of La­bor.

Applications for the magistrate judge position must be received by Wednesday, Nov. 20, it was re­ported. A district magistrate judge must have graduated from a high school, secondary school, or the equivalent; be a resident of Pot­tawatomie County at the time of taking office and while serving; and be a lawyer admitted to prac­tice in Kansas or pass an examina­tion given by the Supreme Court and become certified within 18 months.

Candidates for the judgeship in­clude:

• Randy M. Barker, Topeka, who has a private law practice in Holton and is a part-time attorney for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Child Support Services program.

• Chris A. Clements, Andover, a 1979 alumnus of Holton High School who has a private law prac­tice in Wichita.

• Lee J. Davidson, Topeka, who is assistant attorney general in the criminal litigation division of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General.

• Christopher T. Etzel, Ha­vensville, who has a private law practice in Onaga and is city attor­ney and city prosecutor for the City of Onaga.

• Zachary A. King, Hoyt, who is an attorney with Butler and Associ­ates P.A. in Topeka.

• Norbert C. Marek Jr., West­moreland, who is Wabaunsee County Attorney.

• Shawna R. Miller, Holton, who has a private law practice in Holton, is Jackson County Attorney and is a municipal judge in Hoyt and Mayetta.

• Alexandria S. Morrissey, Holton, who has a private law practice in Holton, currently serves as Jackson County Counselor and is a municipal judge in Wetmore and Corning.

• Thomas Britt Nichols, Wamego, who is director of asset recovery for the Kansas Depart­ment of Labor.

• Vivien J. Olsen, St. Marys, who is general counsel for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

Kansas law requires that a judge be a resident of Jackson County at the time of taking the oath and maintain residency in Jackson County while holding office, have actively practiced law as a judge, attorney or full-time teacher at an accredited law school for at least five years and be admitted to prac­tice law in Kansas.

District court judges are selected in one of two ways in Kansas — merit selection and retention vote, as Ireland was chosen in 2006 to serve as a Second District judge, or partisan ballot. In some districts, voters have approved nonpartisan merit selection of judges. In other districts, judges run for office on a partisan ballot. Judges serve four-year terms regardless of their method of selection.

When a vacancy occurs in a merit selection district, a judicial nominating commission interviews candidates and recommends two or three candidates to the governor for consideration. The governor then appoints one of the candidates as a judge to fill the vacancy. When there is a vacancy in a district magistrate judgeship, the district judicial nominating commission selects a candidate to fill the va­cancy.

All judges appointed via merit selection stand for retention at four-year intervals beginning with the first general election after they have been in office for one year.

Judicial nominating commissions are made up of attorneys and non-attorneys who live in the district. Attorney members of the nominat­ing commission are elected by fel­low attorneys, while non-attorney members are appointed by the local county commissions in the judicial district.

In the meantime, “senior judges,” or retired judges who step up to help in case of a sudden va­cancy on the bench, continue to work with judges and courts in the Second District to cover cases slated to have been overseen by Ireland. The district is led by Chief District Judge Gary L. Nafziger, with sup­port from District Judge Jeff Elder and magistrate judges Blaine Carter and Dennis Reiling.

The nominating commission consists of J. Richard Lake, Holton; Edward W. Pugh, Wamego; John D. Watt, Wamego; Charles W. Waugh, Eskridge; David G. Allen, Cir­cleville; Norma J. Dunnaway, Perry; D. Max Fuller, Maple Hill; and Corwin K. Seamans, Manhat­tan. Kansas Supreme Court Justice Marla Luckert, departmental justice responsible for the Second Judicial District, serves as the commission’s non-voting chairperson.