Kansas Supreme Court elections, 2026
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The term of one Kansas Supreme Court justice will expire on January 11, 2027. The one seat is up for retention election on November 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the justices who must stand for retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Justices may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if justices retire or are appointed.
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Eric Rosen's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Kansas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
About the Kansas Supreme Court
- See also: Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest court in Kansas. It consists of seven justices, each of whom is appointed by the governor. The court is located at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, Kansas.[1]
Political composition
This is the political composition of the court heading into the 2026 election.
| ■ Keynen Wall | Appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Caleb Stegall | Appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) in 2014 | |
| ■ Melissa Standridge | Appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Eric Rosen | Appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) in 2005 | |
| ■ Marla Luckert | Appointed by Gov. Bill Graves (R) in 2002 | |
| ■ Daniel Biles | Appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) in 2009 |
Selection
The seven justices on the Kansas Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. The Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission is responsible for providing the names of nominees to the governor, who must then select a justice from that list.[2] The commission is made up of nine members, one lawyer and non-lawyer from each congressional district and one additional lawyer who serves as chairperson. The four non-lawyers are appointed by the governor. Four lawyers are elected by members of the Kansas State Bar in each congressional district. The fifth lawyer is elected by a statewide vote of members of the Kansas State Bar.[2]
Newly appointed justices serve for at least one year, after which they must stand for retention in the next even-year general election. If retained, the justice serves a six-year term and must stand for retention every six years after that point to remain in office.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must:[2]
- have at least 10 years of active and continuous law practice in the state;[3]
- be at least 30 years old; and
- be no older than 75. If a sitting judge turns 75 while on the bench, he or she may serve out the term.
Chief justice
The court's chief justice is chosen by seniority. He or she is the longest-serving justice on the court and serves as chief indefinitely.[4] Upon his or her retirement, the justice with the next-longest tenure on the court becomes chief justice.
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year and then stands for retention.[1]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kansas Judicial Branch - Supreme Court Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "supreme" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Supreme Court Nominating Commission, "Filling a Supreme Court vacancy," Aug. 6, 2020
- ↑ This may include work as a lawyer, judge, or full-time teacher at an accredited law school.
- ↑ Our Kansas Courts, "Judicial Selection," accessed Sept. 24, 2021
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
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