Trio linked to Marion among judicial nominees

Three attorneys with links to Marion are among 13 nominated for two vacancies as district judges, according to an announcement by the state judicial administration office.

One of the vacancies must be filled by a person who, at the time of appointment, is a Marion County resident.

The other must be filed by someone who resides in the 8th Judicial District, including Dickinson, Geary, Marion, or Morris counties, at the time of taking office.

Nominees include:

• Former Marion attorney Keith Collett, now a district magistrate judge in Dickinson County.
• Marion city attorney and former county attorney Susan Robson.
• Current county attorney Joel Ensey.

They and 10 other nominees will be interviewed in public starting at 9 a.m. Aug. 18 in the Geary County courthouse in Junction City.

The two new judges will replace retiring judges Michael Powers of Marion and Steven Hornbaker of Geary County.

A selection committee that includes two Marion residents — attorney Edwin Wheeler Jr. and non-attorney Daryl Enos — will select three to five names to forward to the governor, who will make a final selection within 60 days.

After one year in office, the selected judges will be subject to an election in which voters will be asked whether to retain them for the next four years.

Other nominees include:

• Samantha Angell, an attorney in private practice in Salina.
• Krista Blaisdell, Geary County attorney.
• Amy Coppola, district magistrate judge in Geary County.
• Bobby Hiebert, assistant attorney in Geary County.
• Douglas Jones, district magistrate judge in 5th Judicial District, which includes Lyon and Chase counties.
• Valorie Leblanc, district magistrate judge in the 6th Judicial District, which includes Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties.
• Jason Oxford, assistant county attorney in Geary County
• Britain Stites, city attorney for Junction City.
• Laura Viar, Morris County attorney.
• Jennifer Wyatt, an attorney in private practice in Salina.

Justice Caleb Stegall of the Kansas Supreme Court is non-voting chairman of the selection committee.