21st Judicial District Nominating Commission to interview nominees for district magistrate judge position

TOPEKA—The 21st Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene at 9 a.m. Tuesday, February 7, to interview nominees to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in Riley County created by Judge James Kepple’s November 28 retirement.

The 21st Judicial District is composed of Clay and Riley counties.
 
Public access  
 
Interviews are open to the public. They will take place at:  

Riley County Courthouse
100 Courthouse Plaza  
Manhattan, KS  
 
The interview schedule will be announced once it’s finalized.  
 
The nominees are:  

• Joshua Kyle, Manhattan, retired captain, Riley County Police Department

• Jeremy Larchick, Manhattan, chief of claims and hospital administration, Department of the Army, Fort Riley

• Christine Smith, Manhattan, contract attorney, Young Williams Child Support Services

Accommodation  
 
Any person with a disability who requires accommodation to access the nominating commission meeting should notify the judicial branch ADA coordinator as early as possible:  
 
ADA Coordinator  
ADA@kscourts.org
785-296-2256  
TTY at 711  
 
District magistrate judge appointment process  

To be considered for district magistrate judge, a nominee must be:

• a resident of Riley County at the time of taking office and while holding office;  

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and  

• either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination to become certified within 18 months.  

The nominating commission selects whom to appoint to fill magistrate judge positions.

Term of office  

After serving one year in office, a new 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 21st Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Caleb Stegall as the nonvoting chair; Kyle Bauer and Steven McMahan, Clay Center; William Bahr, Johanna Lyle, Jeremiah Platt, Derrick Roberson, and Kitra Schartz, Manhattan; and Steven Hargrave, Randolph.