Kathryn Gardner will be sworn in as judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals at 2 p.m. Friday, May 8, in the Supreme Court courtroom in the Kansas Judicial Center, Topeka.
Court of Appeals Chief Judge Thomas Malone will preside over the ceremony.
The public may access a live webcast of the ceremony by following the Watch Supreme Court Live! link in the right-hand column of the Kansas Judicial Branch website at www.kscourts.org.
Gardner was nominated to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Sam Brownback on Jan. 29 and her nomination was confirmed by the Kansas Senate on March 11.
Prior to her nomination, Gardner was a chambers law clerk to the Honorable Sam A. Crow, a judge with the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, a position she held twice. In between, she was in private practice with the Martin Pringle law firm, where she became a partner. Her practice included litigating employment discrimination and other cases in state and federal court. She began her legal career as a research attorney for Judge Joe Haley Swinehart of the Kansas Court of Appeals, then served as an assistant attorney general in the civil division.
While a lawyer, Gardner was active in many professional, civic, and community activities. She chaired the Kansas Bar Association’s committees on law related education and legal issues affecting the elderly. She also served as editor of Law Wise, an educational periodical for teachers and students published by the association.
Gardner was appointed to the U.S. District Court civil justice reform act committee and federal practices handbook committee. She presented many continuing legal education courses to attorneys and business leaders, and she served on the Wichita Bar Association board of governors. She currently serves as president of the Sam A. Crow American Inn of Court and has served on its executive committee for 12 years.
Gardner has been an adjunct professor at the Washburn University School of Law, where she taught writing for law practice and trial advocacy. She also has published articles in the Kansas Bar Association Journal, the National Inns of Court Bencher, and other publications.
She graduated magna cum laude from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She taught English and French at Washburn Rural High School for two years before attending the University of Kansas School of Law, where she earned her law degree. She is active in many organizations in Topeka.