Douglas County judges file for retention

All three Douglas County district judges who face retention votes in the November general election have filed paperwork seeking to serve four more years on the bench.

According to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office, judges Michael J. Malone, Paula Martin and Kay Huff have filed to be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

In Douglas County, judges are appointed by the governor, who is given three names by a local nominating commission. Judges face a yes or no retention vote in the first general election after they have been on the bench for a year. If they are retained, they face a vote again every four years.

Malone, a former Douglas County district attorney, was originally appointed to the bench in 1982. He served as a chief judge from 1990 to 2002.

Martin was appointed as a judge in 1994. Both Malone and Martin handle criminal and civil cases as well as care and treatment matters. Malone also handles small claims appeals while Martin takes traffic appeals.

Huff is the county’s newest judge, appointed by Gov. Mark Parkinson in 2010. She is facing her first retention vote and handles criminal, divorce, limited civil, care and treatment and protection from abuse and stalking cases.

Statewide, the deadline for judges who face retention to file for the general election is noon Monday. Malone filed in June; Huff and Martin completed paperwork in late July, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The remaining three Douglas County judges, Robert Fairchild, Peggy Kittel and Sally Pokorny, do not face retention votes until 2014.