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Kansas District Courts
The Kansas district courts are the trial courts of Kansas. Created by the Kansas Constitution, the district courts have general original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases including:
- Divorce and domestic relations;
- Damage suits;
- Probate and administration of estates, guardianships, conservatorships;
- Care of the mentally ill;
- Juvenile matters;
- Small claims.
Kansas is divided into thirty-one judicial districts, with 163 district court judges. The number of judges varies from district-to-district. There is a district court in each county.[1]
In addition to online service, the state of Kansas now offers mobile access to court records and case information. Users can instantly find court records for any Kansas county district court via the app. Complete case histories can be searched by county, court type or case number. Access to the service is available at: www.kansas.gov/countyCourts/.[2]
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Kansas
Judges on Kansas' District Courts are selected in one of two ways:
- Assisted appointment: a local judicial nominating commission consisting of non-lawyers and lawyers who live in the district present a list of three to five names to the governor who selects an appointment. Non-lawyer members are appointed by local county commissions and lawyers are elected by fellow lawyers in the judicial district. Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they must stand for retention in the next even-year general election. If retained, the judge serves a four-year term and must stand for retention every four years after that point to remain in office.[3][4]
- Partisan election: judges are elected to a four-year term during regularly-scheduled partisan elections.[5]
The following districts select judges through assisted appointment:[6]
The following districts elect judges through partisan elections:[6]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must:[3]
- have at least five years of active and continuous law practice in the state;[7]
- be at least 30 years old; and
- be a resident of the judicial district in question at the time of taking the oath of office and while holding office.
Chief judge
The chief judge in each district is selected by the supreme court.[8]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on a district court using the assisted appointment method, the position is filled as it normally would be had the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A local judicial nominating commission presents a list of nominees to the governor who picks an appointment. He or she then serves at least one year following his or her initial appointment and must stand for retention at the next statewide general election to remain in office.[3]
If a midterm vacancy occurs on a district court using partisan elections, the governor appoints a new judge to serve out the remainder of the preceding term, after which point he or she would need to win the position's partisan election to remain in office.[9]
Courts
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ About the Kansas district courts
- ↑ www.kansas.gov, "Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, Kansas District Court Records Search," accessed September 18, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcybercivics - ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch, "Become a Judge Through Merit Selection," accessed Sept. 24, 2021
- ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch, "Become a Judge Through Election," accessed Sept. 24, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kansas Judicial Branch, "Become a Judge Through Merit Selection," accessed Sept. 24, 2021
- ↑ This may include work as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school.
- ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch, "About District Courts," accessed March 31, 2023
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Governor Laura Kelly Appoints Magistrate Judge Andrea Cross to fill Court Vacancy in the 20th Judicial District," Sept. 1, 2021
- ↑ Kansas District Courts
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
