TOPEKA—The 9th Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene January 12 to interview nominees to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in McPherson County created by Judge Steve Hilgers' January 8 retirement.
The 9th Judicial District is composed of Harvey and McPherson counties.
Nominees
The nominees are:
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JoAn M. Hamilton Lindfors, Marquette, retired lawyer;
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Ellen G. Neufeld, Inman, lawyer at Ellen G. Neufeld law firm;
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Gary L. Price Jr., McPherson, lawyer at Boyer & Price law firm and municipal judge for Canton, Lindsborg, and Moundridge; and
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Susan C. Robson, Marion, lawyer at Brookens & Robson law firm.
Interviews and appointment
The nominating commission will convene by videoconference at 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 30, to review the applications. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Kansas judicial branch YouTube channel.
The nominating commission will convene to interview nominees at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 12, and reconvene on Wednesday, January 13, if necessary. The location will be announced.
Interviews are open to the public.
Anyone who attends in person must follow public health requirements set out in Supreme Court administrative order. These include answering questions at check-in about symptoms of or possible exposure to COVID-19, wearing a face mask while in the building, and maintaining 6 feet of physical distance from others.
Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meetings should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible, preferably 10 working days before the meeting date:
ADA Coordinator
reimere@kscourts.org
785-296-2256
TTY at 711
After the interviews, the commission will appoint a district magistrate judge.
Eligibility requirements
Kansas law requires that this district magistrate judge be:
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a resident of McPherson County at the time of taking office and while holding office;
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a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and
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either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination given by the Supreme Court to become certified within 18 months.
Term of office
After serving one year in office, the new magistrate judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term.
Nominating commission
The 9th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Evelyn Wilson as the nonvoting chair; Amie Bauer, Lindsborg; Michael Androes, Ann Elliott, and Harris Terry, McPherson; and Thomas Adrian, Jana McKinney, John Robb, and George "Chip" Westfall, Newton.