28th Judicial District Nominating Commission Sends Names of Four Nominees for Two District Judge Positions to Governor

The 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission has sent the names of four nominees who are eligible to fill either of two new vacant district judge positions to Governor Laura Kelly, who has 60 days to decide who will fill the new positions.

The new judge positions were certified by Administrative Order 2022-JA-020 after the Kansas Legislature passed and the governor signed 2022 House Substitute for Substitute for Senate Bill No. 267 to fund them.   

The 28th Judicial District is composed of Saline and Ottawa counties.   

The nominees are:   

• Samantha Angell, Salina, chamber counsel, U.S. Court for the District of Kansas

• W. Brad Sutton, Assaria, assistant county attorney, Saline County 

• Andrea Swisher, Lindsborg, private practice

• Amy Taylor-Norton, Salina, assistant attorney general

Eligibility requirements 
Nominees for district judge must be:

• at least 30 years old;

• a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and engaged in the practice of law for at least five years, whether as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school; and

• a resident of the Judicial District at the time of taking office and while holding office.

Term of office
After serving one year in office, the 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 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall as the nonvoting chair; David Stanley of Bennington; Jay Macy of Minneapolis; Lance Cochran, Robert German, Peter Johnston, Donald Merriman, and Christine Ritter of Salina; and Robert Martin of Solomon.