TOPEKA—The 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene at 8:30 a.m. Monday, August 29, to interview nominees to fill two district judge positions.
 
One position was created by Judge Martin Asher's July 8 retirement. The other was among the positions certified by Supreme Court Administrative Order 2022-JA-020 after the Kansas Legislature passed and the governor signed 2022 House Substitute for Substitute for Senate Bill No. 267 to fund them.
 
The 1st Judicial District is composed of Atchison and Leavenworth counties.

Public access
 
Interviews are open to the public. They will take place at:
 
Leavenworth Justice Center
Courtroom #2
601 S 3rd St.
Leavenworth, KS 66048
 
The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.  
 
The nominees:

• Amy Coppola Crawford, Milford, district magistrate judge, 8th Judicial District

• James Antwone Floyd, Bonner Springs, J.A. Floyd Law

• John Fresh, Atchison, partner, Farris, Fresh & Werring Law Office, LLC

• Crystal Henson, Tonganoxie, municipal court city prosecutor, Unified Government of Wyandotte County

• John Kurth, Atchison, Kurth law Office Inc. P.A.; Kickapoo, Sac and Fox, and Iowa tribal prosecutor

• Clinton Lee, Olathe, The Law Office of Clinton W. Lee

• Rhonda Levinson, Kansas City, attorney, Perry & Trent LLC

• Geoffrey Sonntag, Tonganoxie, public defender, City of Leavenworth; private practice, Sonntag Law Office

• Allen Ternent, Atchison, Ternent Law Office

• Andrew Werring, Atchison, partner, Farris, Fresh & Werring Law Office, LLC

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:
 
ADA Coordinator
ADA@kscourts.org
785-296-2256
TTY at 711
 
Eligibility requirements
 
A nominee 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 judicial district at the time of taking office and while holding office.

The nominating commission seeks nominations and then meets to interview nominees. Interviews are open to the public.  
 
Nominees to governor
 
The nominating commission will select three to five people whose names will be submitted to the governor to fill these positions according to statutory qualification and residency requirements. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint.
 
If there are not sufficient nominees who reside in the judicial district who are deemed qualified by the commission, the commission may consider nominees who reside outside the district.
 
Term of office
 
After serving one year in office, a 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 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Eric S. Rosen as the nonvoting chair; Robert Bednar, Julia Clem, and Rosemary Nies, Atchison; Michael Jones, Lansing; G. Ronald Bates Jr., Gregory Beck, and Kevin Reardon, Leavenworth; and Lois Meadows, Tonganoxie.