Federal public defender Carl Folsom III dominated balloting when a screening committee recommended him a second time 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 Folsom for the judgship in three separate rounds of voting.
The committee recommended Folsom along with Sedgwick County prosecutor Lesley A. Isherwood and Fairway judicial law clerk Russell Keller to replace Judge Steve Leben.
Folsom led all candidates with nine votes in each round of voting. After the first round, he led Isherwood with eight votes and Keller with seven.
Trailing the front-runners after Round 1 were:
- Johnson County District Judge Rhonda Mason and Salina lawyer Angela Coble with six votes each.
- Washburn law school professor Randall Hodgkinson with five votes.
- Assistant solicitor general Steve Obermeier with four votes.
- Wichita attorney Marcia Wood with three votes.
- Wichita lawyer Kristen Wheeler and Wyandotte County Judge Timothy Dupree with two votes each.
- Overland Park lawyer David Rempel and Wyandotte County District Judge Daniel Cahill with one vote apiece.
In Round 2, the field was narrowed to six candidates, with Folsom and Isherwood leading the pack with nine votes, followed by Keller with eight.
Hodgkinson finished with six votes, followed by Mason with five and Coble with five.
In the third and final round, Folsom and Isherwood led the field with nine votes, followed by Keller with seven.
Mason finished with four votes, Coble had three votes and Hodgkinson had two.
Kelly must choose a nominee from the three candidates recommended by the screening committee. She will nominate a candidate by the end of August.
It will be up to the incoming class of senators — likely to be more conservative than the current group — to confirm Kelly’s appointment.
The Senate refused to confirm Folsom in June largely because his background was too narrowly focused on work as a public defender, a vote that drew fierce criticism from the legal community, including Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall.
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, chair
Wichita
Partner at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Kristen Wheeler
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Russell Hodgkinson
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Richard Marquez
Garden City
Partner at Lindner, Marquez & Koksal
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Steve Obermeier
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 3 (vote up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Michael Fleming
Leawood
Attorney at Kapke Willerth
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Steve Obermeier
Kristen Wheeler
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Karen Humphreys
Wichita
Retired federal magistrate judge
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Russell Keller
Steve Obermeier
David Rempel
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Don Noland
Retired 11th District Court Judge
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Daniel Cahill
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Steve Obermeier
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Henry Schwaller
Hays
Former Hays mayor
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Timothy Dupree
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Rhonda Mason
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Round 3 (voted for up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Jonathan Eshnaur
Olathe
Special education teacher
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Danielle Dempsey-Swopes
Topeka
Director of diversity & inclusion
Washburn University
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Carl Folsom III
Randall Hodgkinson
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Monique Garcia
Wichita
Community relations director
Kansas Health Foundation
Round 1 (vote for up to six)
Timothy Dupree
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Marcia Wood
Round 2 (vote for up to five)
Angela Coble
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
Round 3 (vote for up to four)
Carl Folsom III
Lesley Isherwood
Russell Keller
Rhonda Mason
