Kansas Legislature Approves New Selection Method for Court of Appeals Judges

By a vote of 28-12, the senate gave final approval to a bill that ends the role of the nominating commission in appointing court of appeals judges and requires senate confirmation of such appointments. The house of representatives passed the bill earlier this month. Because the court of appeals and its judicial selection method are statutory, the constitution need not be amended to accomplish the change. A proposed constitutional amendment to make the same change for the supreme court stalled in the house after passing the senate.