Lori Breshears selected for district magistrate judge vacancy in Osage County

TOPEKA—The 4th Judicial District Nominating Commission has selected Lori Breshears to fill a magistrate judge vacancy in Osage County.

The commission conducted public interviews of nominees for the position April 6 in Lyndon. Three people had applied for the opening.

Breshears' new position will be effective on her swearing-in. She is a paralegal and victim witness coordinator for the Coffey County Attorney's Office in Burlington.

The 4th Judicial District is composed of Anderson, Coffey, Franklin, and Osage counties. The vacancy was created by Judge Shannon Rush's February 1 resignation.

Eligibility requirements

Kansas law requires that a district magistrate judge be:

• a resident of Osage County at the time of taking office and while holding office;

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and

• 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, the new magistrate 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 4th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Eric Rosen as the nonvoting chair; Craig Cole, Garnett; Anthony Mersman, Greeley; Phyllis Gardner and Janet Walsh, Lyndon; Heather Landon, Ianne Dickinson, and Forrest Lowry, Ottawa; and Timothy Johnson, Waverly.