Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday nominated Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack for a seat on the state appeals court.
Jack, a former state lawmaker from 2002 to 2005, emerged from a field of 18 candidates vying to replace the retired Judge Patrick McAnany on the Court of Appeals. The Senate must confirm Jack’s nomination.
Kelly chose Jack, 57, from among three finalists that included Lawrence attorney Sarah Warner and Wichita attorney Marcia Wood. Jack was first appointed to the bench in 2005 by former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
“Judge Jack is just the kind of judge we need on the court of appeals,” Kelly said. “He has spent his career not just practicing law but making law as a legislator and interpreting and applying it as a trial judge.”
Kelly employed the merit-selection process that’s used in selecting Supreme Court justices. Under a law enacted during former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, Kelly could have unilaterally appointed a judge to replace McAnany.
Instead, Kelly used a panel made up of five lawyers and four nonattorneys to choose three candidates who were recommended to her to choose from.
Kelly said Jack’s role as a legislator tilted in his favor.
“I did like the fact that Judge Jack has experience not only enforcing the law and applying the law, but also in making it, really understanding the system,” she said.
“I think it’s particularly important for a judge who has to interpret that law and really understands how that law can impact the lives of everyday Kansans,” she said.
A native of Altamont, Kan., Jack graduated from Harvard in 1983 with a bachelor’s in anthropology. He earned his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1987.
Kelly said she didn’t ask Jack about his position on issues such as abortion when interviewing him for the job.
“We did not go down that path,” she said.
