As we have started to make a custom here at Sunflower State Journal, here is the balloting from last week’s nominating commission meeting to pick an appeals court judge.
Gov. Laura Kelly has the power to unilaterally nominate a judge for the Kansas Court of Appeals but chose to use the nominating commission process to vet the candidates.
Like the Supreme Court nominating procedures, the meetings and voting were open to the public. Until last year, voting for Supreme Court candidates had been closed.
The nine-member panel — five lawyer and four nonlawyers — recommended federal public defender Carl Folsom III and Wichita lawyers Amy Cline and Diane Sorensen to replace Judge G. Joseph Pierron Jr., who is retiring April 3.
There were a total of 19 candidates. Here is a list of bios of all 19 candidates.
Kelly will pick from the three candidates, who will be subject to Senate confirmation.
This will be her second nomination to the Court of Appeals. Her last nomination — Jeffry Jack — went sideways when his angry social media posts about conservatives were exposed.
Folsom, Cline and Sorensen led throughout four rounds of voting.
Folsom and Cline were tied for the lead at seven votes after the first round, followed by Sorensen at six.
Wichita lawyer Marcia Wood, University of Kansas Law School professor Suzanne Valdez and Salina attorney Angela Coble were tied at five votes after the first found.
By the third round, Folsom led the field with seven votes, followed by Cline with six votes and three others tied at five.
The panel had to break the third-round tie between Sorensen, Wood and Valdez.
Folsom led in the fourth round with seven votes, followed by Cline and Sorensen with five each. Wood finished with four votes, followed by Valdez at three.
Only eight of the committee members cast ballots. One panel member was sick on the day of voting. Here are their ballots:
Linda Parks, chair
Wichita
Partner at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Russell Keller
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Kristen Wheeler
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Amy Cline
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 4 (vote for three)
Amy Cline
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Rick Marquez
Garden City
Partner at Lindner, Marquez and Koksal
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Randall Hodgkinson
Russell Keller
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 4 (vote for three)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Marcia Wood
Michael Fleming
Leawood
Attorney at Kapke and Willerth
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Steven Obermeier
Diane Sorensen
Kristen Wheeler
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Round 4 (vote for three)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Karen Humphreys
Wichita
Retired federal magistrate judge
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Russell Keller
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Round 3 (vote for up to four candidates)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Round 4 (vote for three)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Henry Schwaller
Hays
Former Hays mayor
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Lesley Isherwood
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Round 4 (vote for three)
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Jonathan Eshnaur
Olathe
Special education teacher
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Suzanne Valdez
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 4 (vote for three)
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Danielle Dempsey-Swopes
Topeka
Director of diversity & inclusion
Washburn University
Round 1 (vote for up to six votes)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Lesley Isherwood
Diane Sorensen
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five candidates)
Amy Cline
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Round 4 (vote for three)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Monique Garcia
Wichita
Community relations director
Kansas Health Foundation
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Lesley Isherwood
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Diane Sorensen
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Amy Cline
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
Round 4 (vote for three)
Carl Folsom
Suzanne Valdez
Marcia Wood
