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Stephen Six
Stephen N. Six (born December 11, 1965) was the Democratic Attorney General of Kansas from 2008 until 2010.
He was appointed to the position by former Governor and Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2008 following the resignation of Paul Morrison.[1] On June 3, 2010, he launched his campaign to be officially elected to the statewide position.[2] Six lost in the general election on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010, after receiving 41.9% of the vote.
Biography
Education
- Bachelor's degree in economics, Carleton College (1988)
- J.D. degree, University of Kansas (1993)
Career
Shortly after graduating with his law degree, Six worked as a clerk for Judge Deanell Reece Tacha of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He served as a partner in the Kansas City-based private practice law firm of Shamberg, Johnson, & Bergman for 11 years beginning in 1994. In January 2005, Six was appointed as judge on the Douglas County Circuit Court by Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
Political career
Attorney General of Kansas (2008-2010)
Six was the Democratic Attorney General of Kansas from 2008 until 2010.
He was appointed to the position by former Governor and Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2008 following the resignation of Paul Morrison.[3] On June 3, 2010, he launched his campaign to be officially elected to the statewide position.[4] Six lost in the general election on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 after receiving 41.9% of the vote.
Federal judicial nomination
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Steve Six |
| Court: Tenth Circuit |
| Progress |
| Returned 283 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: March 9, 2011
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: May 24, 2011
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
 Reported:
|
| Confirmed:
|
| Returned: December 17, 2011
|
Six was nominated by President Barack Obama on March 9, 2011, to fill a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Obama said of the nomination, "Steve Six has distinguished himself as a first-rate jurist with unflagging integrity and even-handedness. I am grateful for his service to the state of Kansas and look forward to adding his considerable wisdom and experience to the Tenth Circuit Court."[5]
Six was rated Unanimously Well Qualified by the American Bar Association. He had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 24, 2011, and you can find his Committee Questionnaire available here and his Questions for the Record available here.
Both senators from Six's home state of Kansas announced that they would oppose his nomination to the federal appellate court. Sen. Pat Roberts on June 15, 2011, said that he would not support the nomination, stating, “After thoroughly reviewing Mr. Six’s record and his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will not support his nomination to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. I have urged my colleagues on the committee to vote against his nomination.” Sen. Jerry Moran released a similar statement. Opposition to Six's nomination stemmed from criticisms from abortion opponents on his handling of abortion cases while serving as the Attorney General in Kansas. As a result, the committee during the June 17 meeting opted to hold Six's nomination over for further discussion.[6][7]
Due to the opposition of both of his home state Senators, the Senate Judiciary Committee decided on July 28, 2011, that they would not take up Six's nomination. The committee's chairman, Patrick Leahy explained that the move was "in deference to the objections of the Kansas senators”.[8]
Six's nomination was returned to the president on December 17, 2011.[9]
Political issues
Healthcare reform
The version of the ACA that was approved by the Senate included a provision that said the federal government would pay in full for Nebraska’s newly eligible Medicaid enrollees, whereas other states would split funding with the federal government. Opponents of this provision said it was added to gain support from Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who maintained that this was not the case.[10] Stephen Six wrote a letter to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid requesting the removal of the provision. Six said that the "special treatment for Nebraska would unfairly require taxpayers in Kansas and other states to share the cost of health care reform."[11]
On the same morning President Barack Obama signed The Affordable Patient Protection Act of 2009 into law, Republican Congressman Lynn Jenkins and State Senator Jim Barnett requested that the state's attorney general join fourteen other states in challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform measure, specifically the individual mandate and medicaid expansion requirements.[12][13]
After completing a legal review of the health care reform measure, Six declined requests to sue the federal government over the issue.[14] Six said the act was not a clear violation of the constitution, and he did not feel it was in the best interest of Kansas taxpayers to pursue a legal challenge.[15]
Elections
2010
- See also: Kansas Attorney General election, 2010
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary
- Stephen Six ran unopposed in this contest
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Derek Schmidt
|
54.9% | |
| Democratic Party | Stephen Six | 41.9% | |
| Libertarian Party | Dennis Hawver | 3.2% | |
| Total Votes | 834,704 | ||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Six currently resides in Kansas with his wife, Betsy Brand, and their four children - Emily, Sam, Henry, and Will. He is also a practicing member of the United Church of Christ.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Stephen Six Kansas Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kansas City infoZine News, "Sebelius Names Judge Stephen N. Six Kansas Attorney General" 19 Jan. 2008
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Attorney General Six launches bid to retain his office" 3 June, 2010
- ↑ Kansas City infoZine News, "Sebelius Names Judge Stephen N. Six Kansas Attorney General" 19 Jan. 2008
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Attorney General Six launches bid to retain his office" 3 June, 2010
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedpress - ↑ The Republic, "US Senate committee delays vote again on former Kansas AG Six's nomination to appeals court" 6/23/2011
- ↑ WIBW.com, "Kansas Senator Opposes Former AG's Judicial Nomination " 6/15/2011 (dead link)
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, " Steve Six deserved better," July 29, 2011
- ↑ 112th Congress Nomination Materials
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "What was the ‘Cornhusker Kickback,’ the deal that led to Nelson’s crucial ACA vote?" July 20, 2017
- ↑ 1011 NOW "Kansas AG Writes Reid, Pelosi over Healthcare" 12 Jan. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Jenkins to Six: sue over Health care" 24 March, 2010
- ↑ WIBW "Sen. Barnett to AG Six: Sue Over Obama Healthcare" 24 March, 2010
- ↑ Legal Newsline, "Six says no 'constitutional defects' in health care law" 4 April, 2010
- ↑ Topeka Capital-Journal, "AG: Health care challenge would fail" 2 April, 2010
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State - 2010 General Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul J. Morrison |
Kansas Attorney General 2008–2010 |
Succeeded by Derek Schmidt |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nominated | |||
