TOPEKA—The 12th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene Monday, February 10, to interview nominees for a district judge vacancy in Cloud County.

This vacancy was created January 1 when District Magistrate Judge Guy Steier resigned. The Supreme Court then converted this district magistrate judge position 1 into a new district judge division number 2, also in Cloud County. The nominating commission then began the process of filling the vacancy.

The 12th Judicial District is composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties. It was one of two six-county districts with only one district judge division. The 24th judicial district is the other.

Nominees

• Nels Noel, Concordia, attorney, private practice
• Jennifer O'Hare, Lincoln, district magistrate judge, Lincoln County
• Guy Steier, Clyde, former district magistrate judge, Cloud County
• Robert Walsh, Concordia, county attorney, Cloud County

Public Interview

The nominating commission will convene at 10 a.m. Monday, February 10, to interview nominees. The interviews will be at:

County Courthouse
811 Washington Street
Concordia

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

To be considered for district judge, a nominee 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 Cloud County at the time of taking office and while holding office.

The nominating commission selects three to five people whose names are 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 district 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 12th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; Carol Good, Barnard; Justin Ferrell, Belleville; Dwight Daniels and James Johnson, Beloit; Bryan Cleveland, Concordia; Tanner Johnson, Courtland; David Savage, Greenleaf; Starla Nelson, Jamestown; Bradley Steen, Lincoln; Darrell Miller and Keith Roe, Mankato; and Elizabeth Hiltgen, Palmer.