Douglas County judge nominees selected

TOPEKA—Three area attorneys have been nominated to fill the district court vacancy in Douglas County that was created by the appointment of Judge Stephen N. Six as attorney general.

The nominees are Peggy Carr Kittel, a Douglas County judge pro tem; Trevor C. Wohlford, executive director and chief legal counsel for the State Board of Tax Appeals; and Justice B. King, managing partner of the Topeka law firm of Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith.

The governor will have 30 days from Monday in which to make the appointment.

Kittel has been a judge pro tem for Douglas County District Court since 1998. As such, she presides over juvenile offender hearings and child support and parenting time enforcement hearings.  Prior to that, she served as an assistant district attorney, municipal court prosecutor and was in private practice.  She was graduated from University of Kansas in 1980 and from its law school in 1982.

King has been with the Fisher Patterson law firm since 1976.  He became a partner of the firm in 1979 and became managing partner in 1988.  He is a 1976 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from KU in 1973.

Wohlford has been with the State Board of Tax Appeals since 2004.  Before that he was an associate attorney in the law firm of Hinkle Elkouri, LLC from 2002-2004 and in the firm of Foulston, Siefkin LLP from 1999 to 2002.  He holds a law degree from the University of Denver, and a BA and MA degree from the University of Kansas.