Rhonda Cole selected for district magistrate judge position in Bourbon County

TOPEKA—The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission has selected Rhonda Cole to fill a district magistrate judge vacancy in Bourbon County.  
 
Cole’s new position will be effective on her swearing-in. She currently is clerk of the district court in Bourbon County. She fills a vacancy created by Judge Valorie Leblanc’s June 9 resignation.

The 6th Judicial District is composed of Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties.
 
District magistrate judge appointment process  
 
To be considered for district magistrate judge, a nominee must be:  

• a resident of Bourbon County at the time of taking office and while holding office;  

• a graduate of a high school, a secondary school, or the equivalent; and  

• either a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas or able to pass an examination to become certified within 18 months.  

The nominating commission selects whom to appoint to fill district magistrate judge positions.  
 
Term of office 
 
After serving one year in office, the new district magistrate judge must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term.  
 
Nominating commission  
 
The 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission consists of Justice Evelyn Wilson as the nonvoting chair; Mark McCoy and Zackery Reynolds, Fort Scott; Patton Apple and Ronald Wood, Louisburg; Todd Schneider, Mound City; and Mary Stephenson, Paola.