6th Judicial District Nominating Commission sends candidate names to governor

TOPEKA— The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission sent the names of two candidates for district court judge to Gov. Sam Brownback, who has 60 days to decide who will fill the vacancy created by the January 2015 retirement of Chief Judge Richard “Dick” Smith.

The vacancy will be in Division 2 in Linn County.

The two candidates are:

• Terri L. Johnson, Fort Scott, who is Bourbon County attorney and Bourbon County counselor.

• John Stephen Sutherland, Mound City, who is Linn County attorney, and city attorney for Blue Mound, LaCygne, and Prescott.

Kansas law requires that a judge be a resident of the district, be at least 30 years old, have actively practiced law for at least five years, and be admitted to practice law in Kansas.

The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Lee A. Johnson as the nonvoting chair; and Richard M. Fisher Jr., Osawatomie; Alan D. Hurt, Mound City; Blake D. Hudson, Fort Scott; Patton M. Apple, Louisburg; Ronald P. Wood, Louisburg; and Mark A. McCoy, Fort Scott.