Candidates to be interviewed for Shawnee County district judge vacancy

TOPEKA — The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission will interview the 15 attorneys who applied to fill a district judge vacancy in Shawnee County created by the September 30 retirement of District Judge Frank Yeoman Jr., who has served on the bench since 1990.

The nominating commission will convene at 9 a.m. Monday, September 25, in room 401 of the Shawnee County Courthouse. The interviews are open to the public.

The candidates 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 L. Whelan, Topeka

When the interviews conclude, the commission will select three to five candidates whose names will be submitted to the governor, who will decide whom to appoint.

Candidates for district judge must be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and have 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 Shawnee County before taking office and maintain that residency while holding office.

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

The 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.