Campbell selected to serve as magistrate judge

As a young man, Erich Campbell of Holton said that when he grew up, he wanted to become one of two things — a soldier or a police officer.

“I’ve finished my soldier’s career, and now, I’m just too old to be a cop,” he said.

On Friday, Campbell was appointed to serve in the world of law enforcement in another capacity after being selected to serve as a magistrate judge for the Second Kansas Judicial District, it has been reported.

“I was really humbled that I got chosen,” said Campbell, who noted that his career as a judge will begin in February. “Two years ago, there were 78 magistrate judges in Kansas, and only 18 of them were lawyers.”

A three-decade veteran of the U.S. Army and a member of the Holton City Commission, Campbell was selected from a field of 11 candidates to fill a magistrate judge position previously held by Steven Roth. The position covers the state’s Second Judicial District, which includes Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties.

“There are still a ton of details to work out and get lined up,” Campbell said over the weekend on the Internet. “I am excited about this new chapter in my life and I pray that God gives me the wisdom to perform the duties in a fair and just way.”

One of the requirements of the position is residency in Pottawatomie County, it was reported, and Campbell said he “will have to establish” that residency prior to taking the oath of office. On Tuesday, Campbell stated that he had established a residence in Onaga.

Campbell also said he will resign his Holton City Commission post, nearly three years after he was appointed to the board. That will occur before he is sworn in as magistrate judge, which he expected to occur on Feb. 1, 2016.

Holton attorney J. Richard Lake, secretary of the Second Judicial District nominating committee, confirmed Campbell’s appointment on Monday and added his support for Campbell.

“I’m very proud that it was someone from our community, and I’m very happy that it is a layman,” Lake said. “It’s one of the few places that a layman — other than being a juror — is given an opportunity to participate in the judicial system. I’ve always felt that magistrates brought something very special to that level.”

Campbell is the second judge appointed to a Second Judicial District position in the past month, following the appointment of Wabaunsee County Attorney Norbert Marek to the district judge position at Jackson County District Court. Lake said that unlike Marek’s appointment, the appointment of a magistrate judge is finalized by the nominating committee instead of the governor.

A native of Minnesota, Campbell, who has earned the rank of lieutenant colonel, joined the Army in the fall of 1986 and has participated in two tours in Iraq, two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Kosovo, all since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He also earned a Purple Heart after surviving a suicide bomber’s attack in early 2008 while on his second Iraqi tour.

More recently, Campbell has also served as an adviser to the Iraqi national police force and the Iraqi army. He also was involved in set-up work with the Iraqi and Afghanistani judicial system and has also done other magistrate work in recent years.

He has announced that he will be retiring from the Army — in fact, he said he was notified of his magistrate judge appointment only hours after the Army issued his “retirement orders,” although his last official day in the Army “is still being negotiated.”

Campbell, his wife Roline and their two children, Allison and Johan, moved to Holton in 2009, and in late 2012, he was appointed to the Holton City Commission to fill the then-unexpired term of Janet Zwonitzer, who resigned her position to accept a similar one on the Jackson County Commission. He was officially elected to a three-year term on the city commission during the spring 2013 general election.

According to the requirements of the magistrate judge’s position, the 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 either be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or pass an examination given by the Supreme Court and become certified within 18 months.

In the latter case, Campbell is close to completing a degree in criminal justice at Washburn University, where he continues to serve as an adjunct professor of criminal justice and legal studies.