Two judge positions to be filled

Kansas’ Second Judicial District — which includes Jackson County — has yet to announce when applications will be accepted for the replacement of two judges in the district.

Meanwhile, “senior judges,” or retired judges who step up to help in case of a sudden vacancy on the bench, are working with judges in the Second District to cover cases that were scheduled to have been overseen by the late Micheal Ireland, Jackson County Court Clerk Colleen Reamer said.

It was reported that district officials are still attempting to decide which judgeship position will be filled first — the district judge seat previously held by Ireland, who died on Aug. 29, or the magistrate judge position held by Steven Roth, who was recently appointed administrative law judge for the Kansas Department of Labor.

The Second Judicial District, comprising Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties, is led by Chief District Judge Gary L. Nafziger. The district is also served by District Judge Jeff Elder and magistrate judges Blaine Carter and Dennis Reiling. Reamer also noted that “senior judges” who are helping with Jackson County District Court cases include Richard Smith from Linn County and Jan Russell from Johnson County.

Lisa Taylor, public information director for the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA) in Topeka, said she has not received word of any upcoming meeting of the Second District’s nominating commission. Taylor also noted that finding suitable replacements for Ireland and Roth — as well as the order of their replacement — will likely be discussed by members of the commission when that meeting occurs.

Second District Chief Clerk Connie Milner also said she has received no word as yet of when the nominating commission plans to meet, or whether the order of replacement has been decided.

“I’m sure Judge Nafziger, as the chief judge, has spoken with OJA,” Milner said. “And I know that they will be working to replace those judges.”

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.

Nominating commission members in the Second Judicial District include J. Richard Lake, Holton; David G. Allen, Circleville; Edward W. Pugh and John D. Watt, both of Wamego; Norma J. Dunnaway, Perry; D. Max Fuller, Maple Hill; Charles W. Waugh, Eskridge; and Corwin K. Seamans, Manhattan.

Lake, Pugh, Watt and Waugh are the attorney members of this nominating commission, and Kansas Supreme Court Justsice Marla J. Luckert is the commission’s chairperson, it was reported.