Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Judges appointed by Sam Brownback
 |
| State Executive Offices |
| Elections by Year |
| 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 |
| State Executive Analyses |
This page lists judges appointed by Sam Brownback (R) during their term as Governor of Kansas. As of today, the total number of Brownback appointees was 51. For the full profile of Brownback, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Kansas judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Brownback.
Appointment process
In Kansas, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. Most judges must stand for retention in the next general election after one year in office. The exception is district judges who participate in partisan elections; these judges must compete in the next general election.[1]
A new selection process for appeals court judges in Kansas, referred to as the "federal process" because it mirrors the selection system for federal judges established by the United States Constitution, was signed into law by Governor Brownback, on July 1, 2013.[2] Under the system, court of appeals judges are selected by the Governor of Kansas from a list submitted to him/her by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission. The governor's selection is then subject to approval by the Kansas State Senate. Under the previous selection system for appeals court judges, the Senate did not vote to approve or disapprove of the governor's selection.[3]
Supporters of the new process, including Governor Brownback, claim it encourages more public involvement than the previous process.[3] However, critics of the new system claim it politicizes the process. They also claim the new system makes it more difficult for Democratic governors to have their selections approved by the Kansas State Senate, where Republicans have historically held the majority.[3]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Kansas Supreme Court |
December 5, 2014 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Kansas Court of Appeals Position 10 |
2013 - June 30, 2022 |
|
|
Kansas Court of Appeals Position 14 |
January 29, 2015 - Present |
|
|
Kansas Court of Appeals Position 5 |
2013 - Present |
|
|
Kansas Court of Appeals Position 6 |
June 3, 2011 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Kansas 10th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court Division 5 |
||
|
Kansas 10th District Court Division 6 |
||
|
Kansas 11th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 11th District Court Division 5 |
||
|
Kansas 17th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 12 |
||
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 13 |
2015 - January 13, 2025 |
|
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 18 |
||
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 21 |
||
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 22 |
||
|
Kansas 18th District Court Division 24 |
2016 - Present |
|
|
Kansas 21st District Court |
||
|
Kansas 21st District Court |
||
|
Kansas 22nd District Court |
||
|
Kansas 23rd District Court Division 1 |
||
|
Kansas 23rd District Court Division 2 |
||
|
Kansas 25th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 26th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 26th District Court Division 2 Magistrate |
||
|
Kansas 27th District Court Magistrate |
||
|
Kansas 28th District Court Division 2 |
||
|
Kansas 29th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 29th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 29th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 29th District Court Division 2 |
||
|
Kansas 2nd District Court |
||
|
Kansas 30th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 31st District Court Division 3 |
||
|
Kansas 3rd District Court |
||
|
Kansas 3rd District Court |
||
|
Kansas 3rd District Court Division 12 |
2011 - 2020 |
|
|
Kansas 3rd District Court Division 3 |
||
|
Kansas 3rd District Court Division 9 |
||
|
Kansas 4th District Court Division 2 |
||
|
Kansas 6th District Court Division 2 |
||
|
Kansas 7th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 7th District Court Division 4 |
||
|
Kansas 8th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 8th District Court Division 5 |
||
|
Kansas 9th District Court |
||
|
Kansas 9th District Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Kansas
| Judicial selection in Kansas | |
 | |
| Kansas Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Kansas Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Gubernatorial appointment |
| Term: | 4 years |
| Kansas District Courts | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment or Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Kansas, including:
As of April 2025, judges in Kansas were selected through a variety of methods. Supreme court justices and certain district court judges are selected through assisted appointment where a judicial nominating commission presents a list of nominees to the governor who then picks an appointee. Intermediate appellate court judges are selected through gubernatorial appointment with the consent of the Kansas State Senate. Certain district court judges are also elected through partisan elections.[4]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[5] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[6] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[7] | 1[8] | 17[9] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,906,721 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 81,759 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.2% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $52,205 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kansas. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Kansas
Kansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Kansas coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Kansas
- United States congressional delegations from Kansas
- Public policy in Kansas
- Endorsers in Kansas
- Kansas fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Kansas," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ www.fox14tv.com, "Governor nominates Caleb Stegall to Kansas Court of Appeals," August 20, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Witchita Eagle, "Court appointment adds fuel to conservatives' fire to change selection process," September 8, 2013
- ↑ CyberCivics, "Kansas Court of Appeals," accessed Sept. 24, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Kansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Kansas
State courts:
Kansas Supreme Court • Kansas Court of Appeals • Kansas District Courts • Kansas Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Kansas • Kansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kansas
