Kansas governor to announce nominee for state appeals court

? Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to announce his nominee for an open seat on the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Brownback was having a Thursday afternoon news conference at the Statehouse to introduce his choice for the state’s second-highest court. The appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation.

There’s a vacancy because the Republican governor last year appointed then-Judge Caleb Stegall to the state Supreme Court. Stegall took his position on the higher court in December.

Brownback’s office declined to identify the nominee before the news conference.

It also had yet to respond to an open-records request from The Associated Press for a copy of each application, letter or email from a person interested in the job.

The Court of Appeals has 14 judges, and three are Brownback appointees.