Five apply to fill judge vacancy in the 25th Judicial District

TOPEKA—The 25th Judicial District Nominating Commission reports that five people applied to fill a district judge vacancy created by Chief Judge Robert Frederick’s January 22, 2022, retirement.

The 25th Judicial District is composed of Finney, Greeley, Hamilton, Kearny, Scott, and Wichita counties.

Who applied:

• Richard Marquez, an attorney with Lindner, Marquez & Koksal, Garden City

• Brian Sherwood, assistant Finney County attorney, Garden City

• Christopher Velez, district magistrate judge, Hamilton County, Syracuse

• Nicholas Vrana, senior assistant district attorney, Douglas County Attorney’s Office, Gladstone, MO

• Timothy Woods, district magistrate judge, Finney County, Garden City

Public interviews

The nominating commission will convene at 9 a.m. Wednesday, September 8, in the Finney County Courthouse in Garden City. Interviews are open to the public.

The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.

Anyone who attends the interviews must follow minimum standard health protocols set by the Supreme Court. These include answering questions at check-in about symptoms of or possible exposure to COVID-19, wearing a face mask while in the building, and maintaining 6 feet of physical distance from others.

ADA Accommodation

Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible, preferably 10 working days before the meeting date:

ADA Coordinator
ADA@kscourts.org
785-296-2256
TTY at 711

Eligibility requirements

Nominees for district judge must be:

• at least 30 years old;

• a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and engaged in the practice of law for at least five years, whether as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school; and

• a resident of the 25th Judicial District at the time of taking office and while holding office.

Nominees to the governor

The nominating commission will interview nominees and then select from three to five people whose names will be submitted to the governor to fill the position according to statutory qualification and residency requirements. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.

Term of office

After serving one year in office, the new 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 25th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Dan Biles as the nonvoting chair; William Heydman, Zachary Schultz, Marc Kliewer, John Lindner, Lucille Douglass, and Walker Frey, Garden City; Robert Gale, and Timothy Kohart, Syracuse; Ralph Goodnight, Lakin; Ann Wiles, Leoti; Debbi Kuttler, Tribune; and Christine Cupp, Scott City.