Myers files for judge position

Jennifer “Jenny” Orth Myers has filed for Wyandotte County District Court judge as a Democrat in Division 14, which is currently held by the Judge Dan Duncan, who recently announced his retirement.

“I have seen first- hand the issues faced by our community,” Myers said in a campaign statement. “I have had many opportunities to assist our law enforcement officers on how to deal with these daily interactions and frequently have the opportunity to listen to and help the citizens of Wyandotte County.”

As a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County, Myers said she has dedicated her career to serving the people of Wyandotte County.

“Becoming District Court judge in Wyandotte County is another step in fulfilling this career of service to the people of Wyandotte County,” she said.

Born and raised in Wyandotte County, Jenny Orth grew up in the Cathedral neighborhood where her parents, Patty and Jim Orth, still reside.

She attended St. Peter’s grade school and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1996. Four years later, she graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a minor in women’s studies. In 2000, she began law school at Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kan.

As a law student, she was an intern for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office. In 2003, after obtaining her law degree, she returned to Wyandotte County to work in the district attorney’s office for Nick Tomasic as an assistant district attorney. She was a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office for more than nine years, continuing her career under District Attorney Jerome Gorman.

Myers began her career prosecuting juvenile offenders and handling low-level felonies, driving under intoxication cases and traffic cases.

As a senior attorney, she prosecuted high-level person felonies specializing in homicides, gang-related crimes, child abuse and sexually violent crimes against adults and children. She has personally tried more than 60 jury trials in Wyandotte County District Court, successfully arguing appeals to the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals.

In 2011, Myers was appointed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt as the special assistant attorney general for Wyandotte County to handle all civil commitments of sexually violent predators, a complex civil aspect of the district attorney’s office.

In January of 2013, Myers was hired by the Unified Government Legal Department as senior counsel. As counsel for the Unified Government, Myers currently works as the legal adviser for the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. In this role, she provides legal training for more than 300 Kansas City, Kan., police officers and Wyandotte County Sheriff’s deputies annually on issues such as constitutional law, search and seizure, use of force, and current legal trends and cases. She provides all legal training for new recruits for the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. In addition to legal training, she provides legal assistance to the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department on contract and employment issues, policy review, civil forfeitures, open records laws, and other day to day legal issues. She is licensed to practice in Kansas, U.S. District Court and assists in civil litigation defending the Unified Government and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department against claims in federal court. Myers also advises the Unified Government Commission on legal issues, assists with supervising prosecution in municipal court, and provides legal services to the Public Safety and Works divisions of the Unified Government.

In addition to her work for the Unified Government, Myers is involved in numerous legal and community organizations. She is the president-elect of the Wyandotte County Bar Association and has served on the Board of Governors for the past four years. Myers serves on the Board of Directors for the Sunflower House, a child advocacy and abuse prevention center, servicing Wyandotte and Johnson counties. Sunflower House provides a safe place for children in our community to disclose physical and sexual abuse to trained forensic interviewers. Jenny has served on the advisory board for the 8th Street YMCA for the past seven years and provided substantial assistance in continuing the existence of that YMCA location.

In 2014, Jenny participated in Leadership 2000, a civil leadership training course based in Wyandotte County. Her class in Leadership 2000 implemented a Night Courts program at the 7th Street YMCA for inner city youth to play organized basketball on Friday nights during the summer. This program not only encourages and teaches healthy living, but also provides mentoring to the youth in our community. Myers said she remains dedicated to this program and actively works with the 7th Street YMCA to continue this program for youth.

Myers has experience on the bench and served as judge pro tem in Bonner Springs municipal court and works closely with the prosecutors, judges, and court staff in the Unified Government’s municipal court to improve the efficiency of the local court system. Myers provides annual legal presentations to the Wyandotte County Neighborhood Crime Prevention Program and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department Citizen’s Academy.

“I enjoy working with the neighborhood leaders to help them understand the law, enable them to better serve their communities, as well as help them understand some of the limitations of law enforcement in their communities,” she said.

Myers is a lifelong member of St. Peter’s Cathedral Church. She has been married to her husband, Ronnie Myers, for 12 years. She is the mother of two children, ages 8 and 4.

Myers’ legal career and community involvement exemplifies her commitment to serving the people of Wyandotte County.

“I have worked hard to gain the respect of Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and law enforcement in this community, and I believe my peers would agree that I have been successful in doing so,” she said in her campaign statement. “I have always been an active member of the community, and my career has offered me genuine and diverse experiences that have allowed me to remain in touch with the community in which I grew up. If elected, I promise hard work, dedication, and competency in the courtroom. I would be honored to be elected as Wyandotte County District Court judge.”