3 nominees to be considered by Kansas Governor for Court of Appeals seat

TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) - The Kansas Governor will now consider three hopeful nominees to fill a seat expected to open on the Court of Appeals.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says the Court of Appeals Nominating Commission has chosen three nominees to fill an upcoming vacancy expected to be created by the retirement of Judge Henry Green Jr. She will appoint one to fill the seat, but not before the Senate confirms her choice.

Gov. Kelly indicated that the three nominees are:

• Meryl Carver-Allmond, of Lawrence
  • Carver-Allmond is the general counsel for Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Washburn University School of Law. Before, she served as the training director for the Kansas public defender system and was chosen as the first-ever statewide training director. She previously worked as an appellate attorney and led the Kansas Capital Appellate Defender Office. She serves on the Kansas Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and is the president of the Douglas Co. Bar Association. She has been involved with the National Association for Public Defense, the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Kansas Women Attorneys Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University and her juris doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law.
• Randall L. Hodgkinson, of Topeka
  • Hodgkinson is an appellate defender for the Kansas Appellate Defender Office. He also works as a visiting assistant professor of law at the Washburn University School of Law. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and serves on the Kansas Judicial Council’s Criminal Law Advosry. He previously served on the Appellate Procedure Committee and the Kansas Supreme Court Time Standards Committee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer sciences from Wichita State University and his law degree from the Arizona State University College of Law.
• Judge Lori Bolton-Fleming, of Pittsburg
  • Bolton-Fleming has served as the chief judge for the 11th Judicial District since 2021. She was appointed as a district court judge by Gov. Sam Brownback in 2012. Previously, she worked as a private practice attorney for Wilbert & Tnwer, P.A. and for Spigarelli Law Firm. She also served as the legal clinic director for Pittsburg State University. Before that, she served as an Elementary Music and English teacher at Fort Scott High School and Leavenworth Public Schools. She has served on the Kansas Supreme Court Pretrial Justice Task Force, the Rural Justice Initiative Committee and the Kansas Cybersecurity Committee. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Pittsburg State University and her law degree from Washburn School of Law.

Under state law, Kelly noted that she appoints judges to the Court of Appeals subject to confirmation by the Kansas Senate. The Commission will review each applicant’s background and qualifications, conduct interviews and submit three nominees for the governor to consider. No further information has been released.