Anderson appointed chief judge of 3rd Judicial District; other chief judges reappointed

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court has appointed District Judge Richard Anderson as chief judge of the 3rd Judicial District effective January 24 through December 31, 2021.

Anderson succeeds Judge Evelyn Wilson, who will be sworn in January 24 as a Supreme Court justice. She had served as chief judge since 2014.

The 3rd Judicial District is composed of Shawnee County. Anderson was appointed a district court judge for the 3rd Judicial District in 1999.

"I am honored to have the opportunity and privilege to serve as chief judge of the 3rd Judicial District," Anderson said. "I look forward to working with a very talented, dedicated group of judges and court employees in this new capacity, as we serve the people of our judicial district."

Anderson was born in Nebraska and graduated from Kearney State College with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He earned his law degree from Washburn University School of Law.

Before becoming a judge, Anderson was a trial attorney in private practice with an emphasis in labor, employment, and construction law.

He has served as an adjunct professor at Washburn University and as a board member of the Kansas District Judges Association. He is a member of the Topeka and Kansas Bar Associations and has served on several bar association committees.

Each of Kansas' 31 judicial districts has a chief judge who, in addition to his or her judicial responsibilities, has general control over case assignments within the district, as well as general supervisory authority over the administrative and clerical functions of the court.

7th Judicial District

The court previously announced it had appointed Judge James McCabria to succeed Chief Judge Peggy Carr Kittel in the 7th Judicial District, composed of Douglas County. McCabria became chief judge January 1, succeeding Kittel, who retired December 31. McCabria has served as a district judge since 2014. He will serve a two-year term as chief judge through December 31, 2021.

29 chief judges reappointed

The Supreme Court reappointed 29 chief judges for terms effective through December 31, 2021.

1st Judicial District, composed of Atchison and Leavenworth counties:

• Chief Judge David King has served as a district judge since 1986 and chief judge since 1990.

2nd Judicial District, composed of Jefferson, Jackson, Wabaunsee, and Pottawatomie counties:

• Chief Judge Gary Nafziger has served as a district judge since 1982 and as chief judge since 2006.

4th Judicial District, composed of Anderson, Coffey, Franklin, and Osage counties:

• Chief Judge Taylor Wine has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2018. He previously was a district magistrate judge in Osage County.

5th Judicial District, composed of Lyon and Chase counties:

• Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler has served as a district judge since 1990 and as chief judge since 1998.

6th Judicial District, composed of Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties:

• Chief Judge Amy Harth has served as a district judge since 2004 and chief judge since 2015.

8th Judicial District, composed of Geary, Dickinson, Marion, and Morris counties:

• Chief Judge Michael Powers has served as a district judge since 1991 and chief judge since 1994.

9th Judicial District, composed of Harvey and McPherson counties:

• Chief Judge Joe Dickinson has served as a district judge since 2002 and chief judge since 2015.

10th Judicial District, which is Johnson County:

• Chief Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan has served as a district judge since 2008 and chief judge since 2018.

11th Judicial District, composed of Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties:

• Chief Judge Oliver Kent Lynch has served as a district judge since 2005 and chief judge since 2017.

12th Judicial District, composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties:

• Chief Judge Kim Cudney has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2006.

13th Judicial District, composed of Butler, Greenwood, and Elk counties:

• Chief Judge David Ricke has served as a district judge since 2004 and chief judge since 2012.

14th Judicial District, composed of Chautauqua and Montgomery counties:

• Chief Judge Jeffrey Gettler has served as a district judge since 2016 and chief judge since January 2019.

15th Judicial District, composed of Cheyenne, Logan, Sheridan, Sherman, Rawlins, Thomas, and Wallace counties:

• Chief Judge Kevin Berens has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2017.

16th Judicial District, composed of Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Kiowa, and Meade counties:

• Chief Judge E. Leigh Hood has served as a district judge since 2000 and chief judge since January 2019.

17th Judicial District, composed of Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Graham, and Osborne counties:

• Chief Judge Preston Pratt has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2011.

18th Judicial District, which is Sedgwick County:

• Chief Judge Jeff Goering has served as a district judge since 2004 and chief judge since June 2019.

19th Judicial District, which is Cowley County:

• Chief Judge Nicholas St. Peter has served as a district judge since 2004 and chief judge since 2010.

20th Judicial District, composed of Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell, and Stafford counties:

• Chief Judge Mike Keeley has served as a district judge since 1993 and chief judge since 2004.

21st Judicial District, composed of Clay and Riley counties:

• Chief Judge Grant Bannister has served as a district judge since 2016 and chief judge since June 2019.

22nd Judicial District, composed of Doniphan, Brown, Nemaha, and Marshall counties:

• Chief Judge James Patton has served as a district judge since January 1995 and chief judge since 2001.

23rd Judicial District, composed of Ellis, Rooks, Trego, and Gove counties:

• Chief Judge Glenn Braun has served as a district judge since 2012 and chief judge since 2016.

24th Judicial District, composed of Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties:

• Chief Judge Bruce Gatterman has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2003.

25th Judicial District, composed of Finney, Kearny, Hamilton, Greeley, Wichita, and Scott counties:

• Chief Judge Robert Frederick has served as a district judge since 2001 and chief judge since 2018.

26th Judicial District, composed of Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton, and Stevens counties:

• Chief Judge Bradley Ambrosier has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2009.

27th Judicial District, which is Reno County:

• Chief Judge Patricia Macke Dick has served as a district judge since 1989 and chief judge since 2007.

28th Judicial District, composed of Saline and Ottawa counties:

• Chief Judge Rene Young has served as a district judge since 2006 and chief judge since 2015.

29th Judicial District, which is Wyandotte County:

• Chief Judge Robert Burns has served as a district judge since 2004 and chief judge since May 2019.

30th Judicial District, composed of Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, and Sumner counties:

• Chief Judge William Mott has served as a district judge since 2007 and chief judge since 2017.

31st Judicial District, composed of Allen, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties:

• Chief Judge Daniel Creitz has served as a district judge since 2002 and chief judge since 2011.