Lawrence attorney Jacy J. Hurst led three rounds of balloting when a screening committee recently recommended her and two others for a seat on the Court of Appeals.
All nine members of the commission created by Gov. Laura Kelly to review appeals court appointments backed Hurst for the judgeship in three separate rounds of voting.
The committee recommended Hurst as well as Salina lawyer and federal judicial law clerk Angela Coble and Fairway lawyer Russell J. Keller to replace Melissa Standridge, who was appointed to the state Supreme Court.
They were selected from 16 candidates who applied for the job. Here are the bios for all the candidates here.
This balloting is separate from the three candidates submitted to the governor for the vacancy that occurred when Judge Steven Leben stepped down to teach law.
Hurst led all candidates with nine votes in each round of voting. After the first round, she led Coble who had eight votes, while Keller, state Labor Department lawyer Eunice Peters and Johnson County District Judge Rhonda K. Mason each received six votes.
Trailing the front-runners after Round 1 were:
- Washburn law school professor Randall Hodgkinson and Sedgwick County prosecutor Lesley Isherwood, who got five votes each.
- Kansas capital appellate defender Meryl Carver-Allmond received three votes.
- Wichita attorney Marcia Wood received two votes.
- Wichita lawyer Kristen Wheeler, Overland Park lawyer David Rempel and Wyandotte County District Judge Daniel Cahill each received one vote.
In Round 2, the field was narrowed to seven candidates, with Hurst and Coble leading the pack with nine and eight votes respectively, followed by Keller, Peters and Hodgkinson each with six votes.
Mason garnered five votes, while Isherwood received four as they failed to advance to the third and final round of voting.
In the third round, Hurst, Coble and Keller led the field and were recommended to the governor. Hurst received nine votes, while Coble and Keller each received eight.
Hodgkinson finished with seven and Peters three.
Kelly must choose a nominee from the three candidates recommended by the screening committee.
It will be up to the Senate to confirm Kelly’s appointment.
The nominating panel is made up of five members of the legal profession and four community members.
The composition mirrors the committee that reviews candidates for the Kansas Supreme Court.
Here is how each member of the nominating commission voted:
Linda Parks
Wichita
Partner at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Meryl Carver-Allmond
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Monique Garcia
Wichita
Community relations director
Kansas Health Foundation
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Meryl Carver-Allmond
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Don Noland
Retired 11th District Court Judge
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Daniel Cahill
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Michael Fleming
Leawood Attorney at Kapke Willerth
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Meryl Carver-Almond
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonad Mason
Kristen Wheeler
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Karen Humphreys
Wichita
Retired federal magistrate judge
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Jonathan Eshnaur
Olathe
Special education teacher
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Eunice Peters
Richard Marquez
Garden City
Partner at Lindner, Marquez & Koksal
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
David Rempel
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Henry Schwaller
Hays
Former Hays mayor
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Eunice Peters
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Lesley Isherwood
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Danielle Dempsey-Swopes
Topeka
Director of diversity & inclusion
Washburn University
Round 1 (Vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 2 (Vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Rhonda Mason
Eunice Peters
Round 3 (Vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Randall Hodgkinson
Jacy Hurst
Russell Keller
