Candidates apply for Shawnee County district judge vacancy

TOPEKA — Fifteen attorneys have submitted applications to fill the district judge position in the 3rd Judicial District that will become vacant with the September 30 retirement of District Judge Frank Yeoman Jr., who has held the position since 1990.

The applicants are:

• Jay D. Befort, Topeka

• Brett W. Berry, Topeka

• Mary E. Christopher, Silver Lake

• Lee J. Davidson, Topeka

• Darian P. Dernovish, Topeka

• Mark D. Dodd, Topeka

• Jessica G. Domme, Tecumseh

• Jason "Jake" K. Fisher, Silver Lake

• Steven M. Roth, Topeka

• Jennifer L. Martin Smith, Topeka

• Scott S. Sumpter, Topeka

• Kelly J. Trussell, Topeka

• Kathleen R. Urbom, Topeka

• John Paul D. Washburn, Topeka

• Cheryl D. Whelan, Topeka

The 3rd Judicial District is a one-county district composed of Shawnee County.

The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene Monday, September 25, 2017, at the Shawnee County Courthouse to conduct interviews and select three to five nominees to be submitted to the governor, who will then select one of the nominees to be appointed to the position. The interviews will be open to the public.

An applicant for the district judge position must be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and who has been engaged in the practice of law as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school for at least five years. An appointee must establish residency in the judicial district before taking office and maintain such residency while holding office.

The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Marla J. Luckert of the Kansas Supreme Court as the nonvoting chair; Terry E. Beck, Daniel W. Crow, Thomas G. Lemon, Jolene C. Miller, and W. Eric Stafford, all of Topeka; and Toby L. McCullough of Rossville.