Kansas judicial elections, 2016
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Eleven seats on Kansas' state-level courts were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. Five seats on the Kansas Supreme Court joined six seats on the Kansas Court of Appeals on the general election ballot.
All eleven judges were retained.
The supreme court seats up for election were held by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, Justice Marla Luckert, Justice Carol Beier, Justice Daniel Biles, and Justice Caleb Stegall.[1] If retained, a justice serves for six years prior to the next retention election.
Judges Steve Leben, Joseph Pierron, David E. Bruns, G. Gordon Atcheson, Karen Arnold-Burger, and Kathryn Gardner held the appeals court seats up for election in 2016.[1] If retained, an appeals court judge serves for four years prior to the next retention election.
Judges who faced retention
Supreme Court
■ Lawton Nuss
■ Marla Luckert
■ Carol Beier
■ Daniel Biles
■ Caleb Stegall
Court of Appeals
■ Steve Leben
■ Joseph Pierron
■ David E. Bruns
■ G. Gordon Atcheson
■ Karen Arnold-Burger
■ Kathryn Gardner
Election results
November 8 general election
Lawton Nuss was retained in the Kansas Supreme Court, Nuss' Seat election with 55.32% of the vote.
| Kansas Supreme Court, Nuss' Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Lawton Nuss | 55.32% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Marla Luckert was retained in the Kansas Supreme Court election with 56% of the vote.
| Kansas Supreme Court, Luckert's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Marla Luckert | 56.0% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Carol Beier was retained in the Kansas Supreme Court, Beier's Seat election with 56.24% of the vote.
| Kansas Supreme Court, Beier's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Carol Beier | 56.24% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Daniel Biles was retained in the Kansas Supreme Court election with 55.5% of the vote.
| Kansas Supreme Court, Biles' Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Daniel Biles | 55.59% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Caleb Stegall was retained in the Kansas Supreme Court, Stegall's Seat election with 70.82% of the vote.
| Kansas Supreme Court, Stegall's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Caleb Stegall | 70.82% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Steve Leben was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Leben's Seat election with 59.81% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Leben's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Steve Leben | 59.81% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Joseph Pierron was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Pierron's Seat election with 59.47% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Pierron's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Joseph Pierron | 59.47% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
David E. Bruns was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Bruns' Seat election with 71.90% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Bruns' Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| David E. Bruns | 71.90% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
G. Gordon Atcheson was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Atcheson's Seat election with 59.38% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Atcheson's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| G. Gordon Atcheson | 59.38% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Karen Arnold-Burger was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Arnold-Burger's Seat election with 60.18% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Arnold-Burger's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Karen Arnold-Burger | 60.18% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Kathryn Gardner was retained in the Kansas Court of Appeals, Gardner's Seat election with 72.87% of the vote.
| Kansas Court of Appeals, Gardner's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Kathryn Gardner | 72.87% | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Kansas
Supreme Court
Kansas chooses its justices using a selection commission. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission selects three potential candidates for placement as a supreme court justice and presents its recommendations to the governor. The governor must then appoint one justice from the list. An appointed justice must stand for a retention vote after one year. Election to the Kansas Supreme Court is for a term of six years.[2]
Court of Appeals
Under a process signed into law by Republican Governor Sam Brownback on July 1, 2013, nominees to this court are selected by the governor of Kansas from a list submitted to him or her by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission. The governor's selection is then subject to approval by the Kansas State Senate. Under the previous judicial selection system, the Kansas State Senate did not vote on the governor's selection.[3]
Judges serve terms of four years. The mandatory age of retirement for a Kansas Court of Appeals judge is 75, but a judge who reaches that age in mid-term may serve out the remainder of his or her term.[3] Newly appointed judges serve for a term of at least one year, after which they must run in a yes-no retention election to serve a full four-year term.[4]
The chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals is chosen by the other members of the Kansas Court of Appeals. Before July 1, 2014, the chief judge had been appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court.[5]
State profile
| Demographic data for Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,906,721 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 81,759 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.2% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $52,205 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kansas. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Kansas
Kansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Kansas coverage on Ballotpedia
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- United States congressional delegations from Kansas
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- More...
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Lists," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch - Supreme Court
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wichita Eagle, "Court appointment adds fuel to conservatives' fire to change selection process," September 8, 2013
- ↑ Kansas State Legislature, "Article 26: Retirement System For Justices And Judges, Statute: 20-2608(a)," accessed May 31, 2015
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Kansas," archived October 2, 2014
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Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Kansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Kansas
State courts:
Kansas Supreme Court • Kansas Court of Appeals • Kansas District Courts • Kansas Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Kansas • Kansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kansas