Topeka ? Judge Richard Greene is the new chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Greene was chosen by the Kansas Supreme Court to replace Chief Judge Gary Rulon, who retires in January. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss announced the decision Monday.

Greene has been on the Court of Appeals since 2003, when he was appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius after practicing law for 28 years. The native of Hermann, Mo., earned his law degree in 1975 from Southern Methodist University.

Rulon has been chief judge since 2001 and a member of the court since 1988.