Chief Judge Richard Walker to retire August 1

TOPEKA—Chief Judge Richard B. Walker will retire August 1, after serving nearly 31 years on the bench in the 9th Judicial District composed of Harvey and McPherson counties.

"It was a great honor to be selected for this position three decades ago, and I have tried to do my best to honor the public trust placed in me," Walker said. "I have had tremendous support from the appellate courts, my fellow judges around the state, and members of the bar who have practiced here. I particularly want to thank court staff in the 9th for their great work and commitment in very stressful times."

Walker has accepted a position as senior judge serving on the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Walker was appointed district court judge in December 1984 by then-governor John Carlin. He has handled the full range of civil, criminal, juvenile, and probate cases, and has been chief judge the last 13 years. He has been assigned to help the Court of Appeals several times and the Kansas Supreme Court once.

Walker has served on several Supreme Court committees, including Alternative Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice. For 12 years he was a Supreme Court appointee to the Kansas Sentencing Commission. At the national level, Walker served for more than a decade as an advisor to the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code revision project. He also has spoken on behalf of sentencing reform in several states for the Vera Institute of Justice.

Before he became a judge, Walker practiced law in Newton, was the chief legislative assistant to Senator James Pearson in Washington, D.C., and spent four years on the Kansas Adult Authority, predecessor to the Kansas Parole Board. He also served three terms in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Walker was born in Newton, and he graduated from Bethel College and the University of Kansas School of Law. He will continue to reside in Newton.