Court of Appeals interview schedule set

TOPEKA—The Supreme Court Nominating Commission today released its interview schedule for applicants to fill a vacancy on the state Court of Appeals that has been created by the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Nancy L. Mortiz, who was a member of that court before her appointment to the state's highest court.

The Nominating Commission will interview 19 applicants February 17-18 in an open session that will be conducted in the Court of Appeals Courtroom on the second floor of the Judicial Center in Topeka. The interviews will be open to the public pursuant to Commission guidelines that were adopted earlier this month.

The guidelines specify that interviews will run 20-30 minutes each, during which the applicant will begin with an opening statement of no longer than five minutes. Commission members then will ask questions.

No questions or comments will be taken from spectators at the interviews, although the Commission will accept written public comment until one week prior to the interviews. The comments may be addressed to the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, Attn. Anne Burke, Chair, 301 S.W. 10th Ave., Topeka, KS 66612.

The guidelines specify that a portion of an interview may occur in closed session if necessary to protect the privacy interests of the applicant. Closing any portion of an interview is disfavored, the guidelines state.

The guidelines also prohibit cameras, cell phones, or electronic devices from being used in the interview room. That provision was included for several reasons, including the Commission's desire to maintain a professional comfort level during the questioning, and to guard against later applicants gaining an unfair advantage by hearing or seeing recordings of earlier interviews.

Interview schedule

Applicant biographies