Three nominated for Shawnee County judgeship

TOPEKA—Three Topeka attorneys Monday were nominated to fill a vacancy on the Shawnee County District Court that was created by the appointment of Judge David E. Bruns to the state Court of Appeals.

Municipal Court Judge Steven R. Ebberts, Carl William Ossmann, chief of litigation for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services; and Fred C. Patton, who is a sole practitioner in Topeka, will be forwarded to Gov. Sam Brownback Tuesday morning for his consideration. The governor will have 30 days in which to pick one of the three.

The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission conducted interviews of the three, as well as of Jefferson County Attorney Robert A. Fox and Brian M. Vasquez, who also applied for the vacancy, Monday morning.

Ebberts, a native of Garden City, has been the Topeka Municipal Court judge since 2003, and had been engaged in private practice in several capacities since his graduation from the Washburn University School of Law in 1993.

In addition to his position as SRS deputy general counsel, Ossmann also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the Washburn law school and supervises the work of several adjunct law professors.

Patton has maintained a broad based practice since his graduation from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2000, including serving as supervising attorney for the Shawnee County District Court Legal Research Staff from July 2000 to December 2004.

The name of the appointee will appear on the 2012 general election ballot when voters will decide whether to retain him for a four-year term.