Shawnee County is the 3rd Judicial District in Kansas and will soon be replacing District Court Judge Thomas Conklin, who retires on July 4.
A June 23, 2008 press release from the Kansas Judicial Branch indicated the nominating commission will pick the successor to Judge Conklin. But what is known about this commission and does their political makeup reflect Shawnee County?
The Judicial Branch press release identified the members of the 3rd District Nominating Commission
The 3rd Judicial District Nominating Commission includes Justice Luckert as the nonvoting chair and Alan F. Alderson, Terry E. Beck, Mary D. Feighny, Thomas W. Kirker, Mary M. Thomas, Topeka; and Ginger A. Barr, Auburn.
Additional information about these members was obtained from the office of the Clerk of Appellate Courts at the Supreme Court building in Topeka.
The members of the commission elected by attorneys were Alderson, Beck and Feighny. The non-lawyer members are Kirker, Barr, and Thomas, and were appointed by Shawnee County Commissioners. What is known about the political party affiliations and political donations made by the commission members?
Information about political party affiliation was obtained from data from the Kansas Secretary of State, and information about political donations was obtained from the Kansas Government Ethics Commission and the Open Secrets web site.
Chair: Justice Marla J. Luckert. Democrat-turned-Republican last year. See Meadowlark article from Dec 4, 2007: Why did a Kansas Supreme Court Justice Change Political Parties?
Lawyer Members.
Alan F. Alderson, Democrat, 61, term expires 3/2010. $350 to Jim Slattery in 1993-1994; $100 to Carla Stovall in 1994, $250 to Kathleen Sebelius in 1994 and $350 to Kathleen Sebelius in 2002; $50 to Lana Gordon in 2002.
Terry E. Beck, Democrat, 57, term expires 3/2012. $2100 to Jim Slattery in 1993-1994; $100 to Sally Finney for Treasurer in 2002; $500 to Chris Biggs for AG in 2002; total of $2000 to Sebelius in 2002, 2005; $2000 to Paul Morrison for AG in 2005-2006.
Mary D. Feighny, Unaffiliated, 54, term expires 3/2012. $50 to Kathleen Sebelius in 1994; $200 to Kathleen Sebelius in 2001-2002. $200 to Carla Stovall for AG in 1995,1997, $150 to David Adkins for AG in 2002. $100 to Laura Kelly for State Senate in 2004.
Non-Lawyer Members.
Thomas W. Kirker, Democrat, 47, term expires 3/2010. $50 to Paul Morrison for AG in 2006.
Ginger A. Barr, Republican, 60, term expires 3/2010. $500 to Lynn Jenkins for Congress in 2007; $400 to Lynn Jenkins for Treasurer in 2005-2006; $200 to Sandy Praeger for Insurance in 2006; $75 to David Adkins for AG in 2001. Husband, Edwin P. Carpenter, gave $500 to Jim Slattery in 1993; $1100 to Carla Stovall in 1994, 1997; $500 to Lynn Jenkins in 2001-2001.
Mary M. Thomas, Democrat, 52, term expires 3/2012. $50 to Carla Stovall in 1998; $75 to Tom Sloan for State Rep in 1999.
The Third Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of four Democrats, one Republican, and one Unaffiliated voter. That’s 66.6% Democrats, 16.6% Republicans, 16.6% Unaffiliated.
What’s the political makeup of Shawnee County? According to information from the Kansas Secretary of State on May 14, 2008:
Shawnee County: 34613 Democratic, 40881 Republican, 26219 Unaffiliated, 93 Reform, and 510 Libertarian. That’s 33.8% Democrats, 40.0% Republicans, 25.6% Unaffiliated, 0.09% Reform, 0.5% Libertarian.
Does the political makeup of the commission match Shawnee County? How are we removing politics from the appointment of judges when the politics of the members of the judicial nominating commissions is not known by the public?
The Topeka-Capital Journal reported on Tuesday that the Third District Nominating Commission forwarded their recommendations to Gov. Sebelius, who will pick the successor by July 24.
Related:
- Did $13,000 to Gov. Sebelius play part in Supreme Court Nominating Commission appointment? Kansas Meadowlark, June 28, 2008.
- Political Profile of Tenth Judicial District Nominating Committee (Johnson County), Kansas Meadowlark, June 4, 2008.
- Judicial selection commissions, Judgepedia
Tags: District Court Nominating Commission, Kansas District Courts
