Judge Fairchild is a finalist for Kansas Supreme Court

Douglas County District Court Judge Robert Fairchild is a finalist for a spot on the Kansas Supreme Court, it was announced Friday.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will choose a new justice within the next two months from a list provided by a nominating commission. The new justice will fill the vacancy created by the Jan. 12 retirement of Chief Justice Kay McFarland. The other nominees are Overland Park attorney Dan Biles and Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Tom Malone.

Fairchild has been a district judge since 1996, and has served as Douglas County chief judge since 2002. Fairchild has been a finalist for the state Supreme Court twice before. In 2005, Sebelius selected Eric Rosen, then a Topeka judge, over Fairchild, and in 2007, she selected Lee Johnson.