Applications sought for Court of Appeals vacancy

TOPEKA—The Supreme Court Nominating Commission will be accepting nominations until October 13th to fill a vacancy on the Court of Appeals that was created by the death September 1 of Judge M. Kay Royse.

Judge Royse died at a Topeka hospital following an extended battle with cancer. She had been on the Court of Appeals since 1993.

Interviews are to be conducted by the nine-member nominating commission October 25th and 26th in the Judicial Center in Topeka. Following the interviews, the names of three nominees will be submitted to Gov. Bill Graves for selection. The new judge will serve a year in office and then be placed on the next general election ballot for a vote on whether he or she should be retained for a four-year term.

Notices of the vacancy have been mailed to Kansas attorneys. Nomination forms are available in each office of the district court clerk, as well as in the appellate clerk's office in the Judicial Center.

Judges of the Court of Appeals must be at least 30 years old, and have been admitted to the Kansas bar for at least 10 years.

The Nominating Commission consists of an attorney elected to the commission from each congressional district, a nonlawyer from each congressional district appointed by the governor and a chairman, who is elected by attorneys statewide.

Nominating commission members include Lynn R. Johnson, Overland Park, chairman; Lowell F. Hahn, Phillipsburg; and Debbie L. Nordling, Hugoton, of the 1st District; Thomas E. Wright and Jack Brier, both of Topeka, from the 2nd District; Nancy Anstaett and Suzanne (Sue) S. Bond, both of Overland Park, from the 3rd District; and M. Kathryn Webb, Wichita, and Dennis L. Greenhaw, Independence, from the 4th District.