State Rep. Valdenia Winn, D-34th Dist., has been appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court to the Commission on Judicial Qualifications.
She is a professor of history at Kansas City Kansas Community College and represents a legislative district in Kansas City, Kan.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have been appointed by the chief justice. I’m really excited about that,” Rep. Winn said.
Winn is the sole nonlawyer of the four appointments to the commission that were announced. The other appointments were Brenda Cameron, a district court judge from Johnson County who was appointed to the bench in 2002; Larry D. Hendricks, a district court judge from Shawnee County who was appointed to the bench in 2006; and Jeffrey A. Mason of Goodland, who was reappointed to the commission as a lawyer member. Mason has practiced law in Goodland since 1983 and is a member of the firm Vignery and Mason L.L.C. He was first appointed to the commission in 2006.
The Commission on Judicial Qualifications helps the Supreme Court exercise its authority in judicial disciplinary matters.
The appointments are for four-year terms beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2018. The 14-member commission includes six active or retired judges, four lawyers and four nonlawyers.
“Members of the Commission on Judicial Qualifications play an important role upholding the Code of Judicial Conduct and we appreciate their commitment to this duty,” said Lawton Nuss, chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Commission members are assigned to one of two panels. In formal matters, one panel investigates the complaint, while the other conducts the hearing, which separates the investigative and judicial functions.
Complaints about a judge can arise when the judge fails to comply with the Code of Judicial Conduct or has a disability that is so serious it interferes with his or her ability to perform required judicial duties.